You Save Me
by PrincessGrace15
Summary: Ellie Dawson is an ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent on the run. After years of hiding, she is caught and forced to join the Avengers. She is determined to hate every minute of it, but when she meets the soldier out of time, she finds herself thinking differently...
1. Agent of Chaos

**You Save Me**

"**Cause when I'm a bullet shot out of a gun**

**When I'm a firecracker comin' undone**

**When I'm a fugitive ready to run**

**All wild eyed and crazy**

**No matter where my reckless soul takes me**

**Baby, you save me"**

**-"**_You Save Me" by _Kenny Chesney

**Prologue**

_Ellie glanced down at her watch. 1:03:34. One and a half more minutes. She pressed herself flatter against the wall as if to seep through the cracks. She didn't know why she was worrying. The shadows of the dimly lit corridor would do well enough to conceal her. She closed her eyes, visualizing the fight. He would walk down the hallway. He would be suspicious. His gun would be drawn. His eyes would dart about nervously. His breathing…slow, his heartbeat…escalating, much like her own. Just before he would pass the threshold of the door, she'd swat the gun out of his sweaty hands. He'd retaliate, blindly thrashing about. Grab arm. Pull back. Dislocate. He'd try to flip her with his good arm next. Knee to the solar plexus. Break ribs. Flip over shoulder. One shot between the eyes and she was finished. Ellie opened her eyes. It was an easy assignment for the daughter of Athena, the one who foresaw her battles using logic. But there was one factor she had not counted on. He had a visitor. A woman. She narrowed her grey-violet eyes. No, not just a visitor-his wife. Her wedding ring sparkled even in the dimmest of light. Her heart rate rose to an undesirably high level. She couldn't communicate with Coulson. Any sound or motion would give her away. Ellie did not know what to do at that moment. 'Leave no loose ends,' she reminded herself. He fumbled with the keys to the hotel door. Once he had it opened it and was in, she moved soundlessly down the corridor and rolled into the room. They were too drunk to notice her presence yet, but she stuck to the darkest corner of the room anyway. Her heart thundered in her ears so loudly that she wondered if they could hear it. His wife turned on the lamp and a look of pure terror crossed her fair face. A scream was rising in her throat. Ellie could see it all in slow motion. Before the woman could shout, however, Ellie cocked her gun and pointed it at her. _

_ "Don't move or make a sound," she commanded in an icy tone. She heard a shuffle in the back of the room, and a little girl clutching a blanket gazed at the scene with eyes as big and round as saucers._

_ "Momma, what's happening?" the child asked, her lower lip trembling. Ellie cursed mentally. _

_ "Please. Don't hurt my daughter. Please-"the woman begged, silver tears beginning to slide down her cheeks. An edge of hysteria crept into her voice. "What do you want?" Ellie shifted her gaze to the man. _

_ "I need him," she replied flatly, jerking her head at the husband's direction. The woman began to sob while the man glared daggers at her. _

_ "Momma, why are you crying? Momma!" the child cried. Ellie had no choice. She gulped and took a deep breath, and with two concise shots, the man and his wife were dead, their blood pooling around them. The child screamed and ran to her parents. A gut wrenching sob tore from the little girl's lips as she lamented her loss. Ellie could not take in the sight anymore. She dropped the gun and ran out of the room, sticking to the shadows so as not to be seen by the security cameras. She pressed a finger to her earpiece, struggling to keep her voice calm._

_ "Alpha 1 to base. Target destroyed. Requesting extraction." Static came through the earpiece before Coulson responded._

_ "A dispatch unit will collect you within 2 minutes."_

_ "Roger that."_

_ "Good work, Agent Dawson." Ellie didn't reply. The agonizing screams of the child could be heard from everywhere in the building. It broke Ellie's heart. The image of the couple lying dead in a pool of their blood, with their eyes wide open and glassy would haunt her for the rest of her life, and she would hear the heartbreaking sobs of the little girl in her dreams forever. After the quinjet picked her up and delivered her to base, she headed straight to her quarters. She cried. Deep sobs wracked her body. She would never forget what she'd done. Never. _

**Chapter One-Agent of Chaos**

Ellie awoke with a start. Sweat covered her body and she shivered violently. She shook her head. The nightmares began right after the incident, but had ceased to exist after that. Recently, they'd started coming back, and were growing more frequent. It had been four years since that assignment. She was only 20 at the time-so young. Too young for such a job. There was no going back to sleep now. She swung her legs over the bedside, burying her face in her hands. She hoped she hadn't screamed-her French neighbors would not be too happy with her in the morning. A pot of tea would help. Tea always fixed everything in the old days. She grabbed her phone and trudged into her small kitchen, taking in her surroundings. Although she'd lived in France for almost a year, a few unpacked boxes still lay around her apartment. So far, France was her favorite. Although she was multilingual and could adapt anywhere, it was easiest for her to speak French. As the tea kettle boiled, her mind drifted to all the places she'd been. Mexico had been the first place she'd run to. Isn't that where all fugitives went when they were running from the law? Being a novice in that area, that's initially what Ellie thought. But, S.H.I.E.L.D. found her within three weeks. She didn't exactly fit in Mexico with her light skin, hair, and eyes. She stuck out like a sore thumb. Narrowly she escaped, and roamed Europe for four years before finding a more stable home in Paris, France. The kettle whistled. Chamomile tea always calmed her. Come to think of it, so did TV. Ellie switched on the small television in her kitchen, looking for something to take her mind off the nightmares. She smiled when The Big Bang Theory was one of her choices. Sheldon always managed to make her laugh.

_"Penny, why are you crying?"_

_ "Because I'm stupid!"_

_ "Well that's no reason to cry. One cries because one is sad. For example, I cry because others are stupid and it makes me sad." _ Ellie snickered along with the canned audience laughter. She could relate to Sheldon intellectually, being a daughter of Athena. Of course, she had more social grace than Sheldon, but she still felt like an outcast. Her eyelids began to droop. The clock read 3:30 AM. Before she could stop herself, she fell asleep at the kitchen table, still clutching her mug of tea.

Ellie awoke nearly 6 hours later, stiff and sore from sleeping in a sitting position. The TV was still on from the night before, only this time it was displaying the local news. She sighed as she headed to the bathroom to freshen up. The woman in the mirror looked exactly how she felt: tired, frazzled, and thinner. Much thinner. Her already alabaster complexion was even more pallid, if that was possible, and dark circles hung under her eyes. No matter, she thought, a shower and more makeup than usual would cover her exhaustion. Feeling refreshed after both, she proceeded to dress herself. The French did not dress as Americans did-they wore more fashionable clothing that took a little more effort than throwing on a tanktop, shorts, and flip flops. Ellie liked this about France. After all, she had to blend in. The outfit she chose was simple, yet elegant. A pair of dark skinny jeans with red flats and a light blue pinstripe blouse was her outfit of choice, complete with a red cloche hat over her blonde waves. Her stomach rumbled loudly, reminding her that she needed to eat. She slung her purse over her shoulder, grabbed her keys, and headed off to her favorite café.

"Bonjour, Eloise!" a cheery male voice interrupted her reading. Ellie looked up. Pierre stood before her, pen and pad in hand.

"Bonjour, Pierre! Comme t'allez vous?"

"Tres bien! L'ordinaire, je suppose?"

"Bien sur," she replied with a smile. The waiter nodded and walked away. When he left, she smirked. At least she had some people fooled. She'd changed her name to something a little more French-if S.H.I.E.L.D. was looking for her, Ellie Dawson would certainly stick out. Eloise Dumont, however, would pass as a common French name. Every Saturday morning, she came to Le Jardin Des Cygnes and ordered a croissant with strawberries and coffee. Pierre often ate with her. She was careful only to make small talk about things she deemed unimportant. An accidental slip might give her away. She didn't want to be completely alone-no human contact would render her insane. It felt nice to have someone somewhat familiar to talk to, even if he was just a waiter at her favorite café. Her breakfast was brought out quickly.

"Voila, Eloise. Bon appetit!" said Pierre cheerily as he placed the food in front of her.

"Merci beaucoup," she replied as he turned away. "Vous ne me joindrez pa?" He winced.

"Pas aujourd'hui. Nous sommes trop occupés. La semaine prochaine?" Ellie forced a smile and nodded as he left. _That was odd. _Normally Pierre would have been delighted to be with her. She knew he had a little crush on her. And it was later in the morning… not nearly as busy as the earlier hours. She tried to shrug off the uneasy feeling as she munched on her croissant. Perfect, as usual. The coffee was even better, and it was satisfying to finally have decent food. However, the anxiety would not go away-it only heightened as she spotted a man at the other end of the café stealing furtive glances at her. She analyzed the situation. His food remained untouched. His newspaper was open, but upside-down. He obviously didn't read French. _Are you joking? It's the same letters as English, you dolt! They're just arranged in a different language!_ She spotted the earpiece in his left ear. Oh, yes. Definitely a S.H.I. . agent, and a newbie at that. Ellie heaved a sigh and continued to daintily eat her croissant. It was best not to draw attention to herself. _Keep calm and carry on,_ she repeated mentally. But she couldn't keep calm. If there was one agent in her proximity, there were more, hidden. When she was finished with her meal, she placed her money on the table and left the café. She couldn't go home. They would expect that. Where could she go? She had to keep calm. She tried to convince herself she was just being paranoid, but she knew she wasn't. She dared a look back. He was on her tail. Ok, maybe she wasn't being paranoid, but she still had to make it look like nothing was happening. People. That was it. She needed to surround herself with people and blend in. The Eiffel Tower area was teeming with tourists; deeming it the perfect destination. Stealthily, Ellie took out a compact mirror and pretended to fix her lipgloss. The agent was gaining on her. She scanned the crowd for any possible means of escape, but nothing was available. She kept her eyes peeled for more S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel, and had to change her route when two began walking straight towards her. One pressed a finger to his earpiece and said something inaudible to Ellie, but she could guess they were alerting Fury of her location. She turned sharply and headed toward a busy intersection. The sound of whirring helicopter blades sounded above her. _Sacrebleu! _She cursed silently. They really had got her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the two agents gaining on her, and another one approaching her at her 9:00. She knew she couldn't be subtle anymore. Once the street sign flashed the little walking person, Ellie would have to make a mad dash for it. The street sign counted down. 13, 12, 11… the agents were close now…10, 9, 8, 7, 6…they were less than thirty feet away. She couldn't wait. She darted across the intersection, dodging cars and receiving a flurry of French expletives. Adrenaline rushed through her veins and her heart pounded against her ribcage, threatening to burst. She shoved her way through throngs of people, intent on escaping. The helicopter was following her every move. _That's definitely cheating,_ she thought. She'd have to lose them. She skidded on the old sidewalk before rushing down a dingy alleyway. The agents were nowhere to be seen. At that point she was full on panicking-she knew they hadn't given up. No, no, S.H.I.E.L.D. was far too persistent. Where could they have-it dawned on her. The roof. They were on the roof. Realizing the severity of her situation, she sprinted even faster. Just when she thought she'd made it out of the alley, an agent blocked her path and pointed a gun in her face. Another one did the same behind her. Her heart thundered in her ears, but she wasn't about to give up. She knew exactly what was going to happen._ Grab first one's wrist. Break. Punch jaw. Fracture. Second one will react. Elbow to solar plexus. Dig heel into toe. Grab arm. Pull back. Dislocate. Sidestep. First one fires gun. Use other agent as cover. Sidestep the shots. Attempt roundhouse kick. He dodges. Delivers blow to my cheek. Employ distraction. Throw hat in face. He lashes out blindly. Apply elbow block, deliver blow to ribs. Uppercut. Dislocate jaw entirely. Heel kick to diaphragm; break ribs. Finished. _Glaring daggers at the agent in front of her, she executed the moves as quickly and precisely as she had planned, but she was still not safe. The helicopter whirred above her, and she knew Fury wouldn't send just two agents after her if he was so desperate to get her back. Wiping her bloody cheek on her wrist, she stooped down and scavenged the agents' guns, feeling one's pulse in his neck as she did so. A sigh of relief escaped her. She hadn't gotten him killed- thankfully they both were wearing Kevlar. With that, she dashed down the alley and across another busy intersection, this time gracefully evading the vehicles. Two more agents followed her on Ducatis.

"Aw, COME ON!" she shouted at no one in particular, her irritation getting the best of her. It totally wasn't fair that she was on foot and they had Ducatis. For one alarming moment, Ellie didn't see a way out. She scanned the crowd frantically until her eyes fell on the Metro de Paris sign. Perfect. It would be significantly more difficult for the motorbikes to navigate in the small, underground transportation network. She ran as fast as her legs would allow her. Gosh, she needed to work out more. She was growing tired. That was the one good thing about working for S.H.I.E.L.D.- she had been the peak of physical perfection as an agent, but she still couldn't outrun the machines. She smirked. Luckily, she'd taken the guns off the previous agents. She slowed her pace, waiting for them to draw closer. At the perfect moment, she fired her weapon at the front tire of one, causing the Ducati to flip forward and hurl its agent across the pavement. He wouldn't be getting up for a while, but his partner was persistent. Ellie slowed her breathing, stood her ground, and concentrated. A hit in the shoulder would disable him, but not kill him. She fired again, hitting her target precisely where she wanted to, and he lost control of the bike. He leapt off before it crashed and burst into a fiery inferno. Not thirty seconds later, he was on his feet and pursuing her. She tore down the steps leading into the Metro de Paris, losing her shoes in the process. They happened to be her favorite and a pang of frustration struck her. Oh well. She'd buy another pair in Germany. That was her next stop once she escaped. _**If**__ I escape,_ she reminded herself. People screamed as Ellie bolted through the mobs of people waiting for the trains. _Goodness, people, it's not like I'm carrying a g-_ she suddenly remembered she was running through a crowd of people in the metro with a Glock 26 and a Smith and Wesson M&P. At least they cleared a way for her to run, but she still needed out of the area. Not only was S.H.I.E.L.D. on her tail, but the civilians would call the police, too. A group of clueless American tourists were stepping off one train, laden with heavy suitcases: the ideal hindrance for her pursuer. Ellie purposely ran right through them, tripping and scattering luggage everywhere. The group let loose a flood of obscenities as they tried to gather their baggage. As she ran up the stairs, panting, she slowed her pace and looked back. The fiasco with the luggage delayed her would-be captor, but it wouldn't last for long. She was running out of both time and options. The muscles in her legs screamed for a break, but she didn't see one coming anywhere in the near future. Her heavenly strength was quickly depleting. The light at the top of the staircase signaled her only hope, and mustering all the energy she had left, she burst forth. Once above ground again, she skidded to a halt. This, she hadn't counted on. About twenty S.H.I.E.L.D. agents equipped with full gear and AR15s surrounded her, and the helicopter hovered right behind them.

"Ellie, drop the weapons and stand down. Put your hands where I can see them," a strong male voice commanded over radio. She rolled her eyes, seeing no choice but to comply. Four or five agents; she could handle, but a helicopter and 20 AR15s? Well, that just wasn't fair. Slowly, she set the weapons on the ground and placed her hands behind her head. The agents relaxed as their leader stepped off the helicopter. Fury chuckled.

"It's good to see you, Ellie," he remarked. That was the last thing she heard before she felt a stab of pain in her neck. She collapsed to her knees and her vision blurred, right before everything went black.


	2. Back to the Beginning

**Chapter Two: Back to the Beginning**

A throbbing headache was the first of many sensations Ellie was aware of upon waking. The second thing she was aware of was her blurry vision. Blinking repeatedly was not helping to clear it so far. Thirdly, she was handcuffed to a chair. She huffed in frustration and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping her vision would clear when she opened them. It did, and the first thing she saw was Coulson talking to Fury out of the corner of her eye. Their voices sounded muffled, like they were underwater. She silently vowed to never, ever do drugs if this was how one felt all the time.

"Sir, she's conscious," she heard someone say. Probably Coulson. Ellie let out an involuntary groan. She was in no mood to have a conversation with the man she'd been on the run from for four years. Fury's heavy footsteps sounded incredibly loud on the metal floor. Wait-metal floor? Where was she anyway? He sat across from her, shuffling some papers in a file and scowling. He certainly hadn't changed a bit.

"Madame Dumont, you were late for breakfast this morning." The Director's dark eye bore into her forehead. Ellie still refused to look up. He sighed and continued speaking. "Every Saturday morning at 9:30 you order a croissant with strawberries and a cup of coffee. I'm not sure I understand-" Her hatred for him was growing with each syllable he uttered, but so was her curiosity.

"How'd you find me?" she cut him off, her tone flat and hostile. This time, she looked him straight in the eye. This time Coulson responded.

"We kept tabs on you all four years: alerted all S.H.I.E.L.D. divisions worldwide to keep an eye out. We had agents tailing you for a long time, but then you disappeared. Slipped off the grid."

"How long?" The balding agent heaved an exasperated sigh.

"We lost you in Reykjavik two years ago. It wasn't until a couple weeks ago an agent discovered you in France." She snorted.

"I was in France for a year and you just now found me?" Fury smirked.

"We had a little help." It finally dawned on her. Pierre-he was an umdercover agent! How did she miss that? Of all people, she should have been the first person to notice something peculiar!

"So…Pierre wasn't really Pierre?" she asked hesitantly. She was trying to play stupid, and it looked like she was working so far.

"No, he was truthful about his name. He's a new agent of the French division of S.H.I.E.L.D. You were his first assignment, and seeing as you're here now, he passed." Ellie groaned and tried to bury her face in her hands, but the handcuffs prevented her from doing so.

"Can I get these off?" she huffed. Coulson raised an eyebrow. "I just want to bury my face in my hands. I promise I'm not going to escape." Fury rose and strode over to what she recognized as the cockpit of a jet of some type. Phil was nice enough to uncuff her. She rubbed her wrists tenderly after being released.

"You couldn't escape if you wanted to, Agent Dawson." Her nostrils flared in anger and her eyes burned with hatred.

"I am _**not-**_"

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice. We need your help."

"Why the hell do-"

"As of right now, we are at war," he said deeply and deliberately. Something in his tone made Ellie cease all her protests. Though he didn't look it, she knew Fury was shaken. And if Fury was shaken-something was terribly wrong.

Ellie groaned again and banged her head on the metal table. This didn't help the headache. She'd been transported back to the temporary base-the helicarrier- and straight to the debriefing room.

"Something wrong?" Coulson asked, feigning actual concern. She turned her head to look at him, but didn't sit up.

"This is a lot of information and I have a killer headache."

"Banging your head on the table certainly isn't helping."

"I need Advil or something. I'm dying here."

"The drug will wear off in ten minutes. You'll be fine." This time she sat up, crossing her arms.

"What **did** you guys give me?" Phil began to lay out a couple files and pictures.

"It's a new sedative we're working on. It works instantly and keeps the victim unconscious for longer periods of time depending on the amount and concentration of the dose."

"Side effects aren't pleasant," she muttered.

"That's the part we're working on," he replied with a forced smile, "but that's not why you're here. Look." Ellie looked down at the pictures he'd spread out. They were interesting pictures, but meant nothing to her. She looked up at him in question. The agent took a deep breath. This was going to take a lot of explaining. He pointed to the first picture-a blue glowing cube.

"This is the Tesseract. It's thousands of years old; contains enough pure energy to sustain the world for even longer. It's been sought after by various… people for a long time." Ellie raised her eyebrows. It was impressive how a little blue box could drive the earth insane. The second picture was equally interesting. It was of a man, with a pale face, angular features, long dark hair, and icy emerald eyes. He wore strange green and black clothing and carried a golden staff/spear thing in one hand.

"The security cameras captured this image at our headquarters for Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. His name is Loki. He's-" Ellie cut him off.

"The Norse god of mischief… what does he want with the Tesseract?" she wondered aloud. Coulson's eyes darkened.

"What does every comic book villain want? World domination, of course."

"How original," she sniffed. He took out a black device that looked much like an iPad and with a flick of his wrist, various videos and profiles of people popped up on the computer screens around them. Ellie gazed at all in disbelief.

"What is all this?"

"Fury's calling it the 'Avengers Initiative.' It's a group of extraordinary people to help us battle the things we can't handle." She shook her head. This was all too much information to take in.

"So… a group of superheroes?" Coulson fidgeted with his iPad and a couple seconds passed before he replied.

"Yes." She said nothing in reply, too overwhelmed to speak. "I'll leave you to catch up," he said, smiling weakly and leaving her with all the videos.

"Phil?"

"Yeah?" he answered from the doorway.

"Am I superhero now?" He chuckled.

"You need a name first," Coulson remarked before walking away.

Ellie decided to take it step by step to avoid information overload. She started first by reading various articles and watching the footage about the Tesseract, tracing its history from Odin's treasure room to the fiasco with Red Skull/HYDRA to S.H.I. .'s possession of it. It held enough potential energy to power the earth sufficiently for many lifetimes, or completely destroy it. After reading about the Cosmic Cube, she turned her attention to the Avengers. First there was Tony Stark, a.k.a. Ironman. Fury's notes on the billionaire read "volatile, self-obsessed, and doesn't play well with others." _Huh._ His footage didn't match the description Fury had written down, but she'd have to decide for herself when he arrived. Next was Clint Barton, alias Hawkeye, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and master of archery. She already knew Clint and acknowledged him as a friend, so she skipped to the next person: Natasha Romanoff, or Black Widow. She'd been on assignments with her as well, but wouldn't count her as a friend. They just..didn't get along. After that, she reviewed Dr. Bruce Banner's file. The poor guy was just trying to replicate the super soldier serum used on Captain America, but it didn't go so well. Turning into a roaring green giant every time he became angry was not a pleasant side effect. There wasn't much to read in Thor's profile. She already knew from reading Norse mythology that he wielded the hammer Mjolnir and that Loki was his brother, so she barely skimmed over his. The next to last file was Steven Rogers, or Captain America. She read all about his transformation in the super-soldier project, his stage and film career as Captain America, his service in the war, and his assumed death. S.H.I.E.L.D. had found him buried under the ice a few months back. Ellie massaged her temples with her fingers and glanced at the clock. She'd been in the debriefing room for nearly an hour. A cup of coffee sounded like a great idea at the moment, and she was about to leave when the last file caught her eye. Sighing, she opened it up. A blurry picture of herself fluttered to the floor. She disregarded it and scanned her profile with increasing curiosity.

**Name: Elinor Anne Dawson**

**DOB: April 8****th****, 1988**

**Parents: Dr. John Dawson and Athena**

**Height: 5'5**

**Weight: 128 lbs**

**Abilities: Divine intellect, strategy, basic telekinesis, hand-to-hand combat. **

**Weaknesses: Pride, spiders, loyalty.**

**Notes: DEMIGOD. Agent Dawson is somewhat unpredictable. Her powers, though unique, are not fully developed and therefore unreliable. After Milan, she was declared rogue. Spotted last in Reykjavik in 2010; no further knowledge of her whereabouts since then. **

"Interesting…" Ellie mused as she set down her file. She hadn't used telekinesis since the incident in Milan, and wondered if she still possessed the ability. Her picture on the ground caught her eye. Taking a deep breath, she blocked everything else out and focused all her thoughts on the picture. She closed her eyes, willing it to lift off the ground and hover in the air. Feeling a sharp prick at the back of her mind, she opened her eyes. The picture levitated three feet off the ground, and faltered as she lost focus due to her surprise. A wide grin spread over her face as she regained her composure. The sharp prick in her mind became even sharper when a corner of the photo caught fire. She watched in wonder as the flame traveled slowly down the picture, reducing it to ashes before her eyes. Well, that was new. Ellie left the debriefing room with a slight smirk on her face, her mind reeling with possibilities. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.


	3. An Alias

**Forgot to do this earlier: DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except my OC. **

**Y'all, I am so sorry for my lack of updating. I have driver's ed all week this week and next week, I'm about to go on vacation, and I'm in the midst of applying for college, so I'm a little overwhelmed right now. I'll try to update as much as I can…I think I manage once a week, but I can't do every other day. And a special thank you to the lovely anonymous guest who reviewed…it means a lot when you take the time to do so. Thanks for reading and I hope to be hearing from some of you soon! Oh!-here's the link to my twitter. I'll try and post the link to new chapters in my tweets. Love you all! xoxo**

** /gracc3**

**Chapter Three-An Alias**

Coffee was a necessity after the briefing. Coffee and Advil: the effects of the drug still hadn't worn off. Ellie wandered around the helicarrier looking for a cafeteria or a break room with a coffee maker. Everything was just as she remembered-the metal walls and doors and narrow hallways-it was slightly reminiscent of Star Wars. She turned when her senses detected the faint smell of coffee coming from one end of the hallway. Sure enough, Agent Hill was making coffee in one of the break rooms.

"Did you make enough for two?" she asked as she pulled out a chair and sat down across from her. The agent nodded.

"Coulson said you'd want coffee after the debriefing." A weak smile tugged at the corner of Ellie's mouth. "There's also Advil in the cabinet over there," the serious agent jerked her head, indicating the direction. Ellie muttered a quick thanks, relieved to finally be getting rid of the headache. She doctored up her coffee with as much cream and sugar as humanly possible as Maria sat idly and stirred hers with the little red straw, as if trying to find something to say. "It's good to have you back," she verbalized with finality.

"Wish I could say the same," she replied with a forced smile. Maria smirked at that comment.

"How'd they get you to come back?"

"Oh, you know, Jason Bourne style helicopter chase, running through dingy little alleys, the metro, and finally being surrounded by 20 edgy guys with AR15s." Maria nodded, catching the other's sarcasm.

"Oh, so they were nice this time?"

"Phil said they were nicer to everyone else."

"Everyone else is coming willingly." Ellie was silent while she sipped her coffee. It wasn't as good as Le Jardin de Cygnes, but it would suffice for the time being. Silence befell the two of them before Maria's phone beeped, signifying an incoming text. The agent quickly scanned the screen before acknowledging Ellie. "You have a meeting on the bridge in an hour and a half. I'm supposed to show you to your quarters until then." Ellie nodded and took another sip of coffee before following Maria out of the break room. They wound through the metal corridors and Maria would point out various rooms such as the lab and the training facilities. Finally, they reached Ellie's room. Agent Hill handed Ellie a card indicating her level of clearance in S.H.I.E.L.D. and gave her cell phone back. "You'll get a text message to remind you about the meeting in about an hour. Everything you'll need is in your room." Ellie nodded a thanks before Maria left. When she walked in her room, she breathed a sigh of relief. All of a sudden, she felt tired. It was a good thing her headache was gone; otherwise she'd have fallen asleep at that very moment. The room was simple, containing a bed, a nightstand, a desk, and a mini fridge. There was also a nice little TV on the wall. _Maybe I can catch The Big Bang Theory later tonight,_ Ellie thought as she observed the rest of the room. It was black and white, and very modern, surprisingly simplistic and chic for S.H.I.E.L.D. The closet was stocked with some of her clothes from Paris, as well as her old uniform and a couple outfits obviously meant for training. One outfit in particular caught her eye: a royal blue catsuit with gold boots and a gold belt. It was certainly not Ellie's style, _tacky as hell,_ she decided, but then again, superheroes were allowed to have tacky costumes and names. Names…Ellie still needed to think of an alias for herself. Something that reflected her power, but wasn't too cheesy… a shower would help her think of something.

The hot shower was especially nice, and it felt good to wash off all the dirt, grime, and blood from today's chase. _Was that really today?_ It was almost four in the afternoon, but it felt like she'd been chased through Paris two days ago. She sighed, inhaling her orange blossom bodywash. S.H.I.E.L.D. had been generous when they personalized her room-almost everything she had back in Paris, she had here, including her orange blossom shower gel and her collection of t-shirts. The thought of choosing a name lingered on her mind as she stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself. _Mind Woman, Trickster, Psyche, The Seer, The Indigo Goddess…_the last one was a little far-fetched, but it had a nice ring to it. Ellie was exhausted and couldn't think of anything. She lifted her hand to wipe the fog from the mirror, but stopped herself. She needed to strengthen her telekinesis skills, and doing small things like this would help. Ellie focused all her attention on the mirror, visualizing a clear space for her face. Before her very eyes, the fog cleared and she saw her violet, gray-flecked eyes staring back at her, and soon enough, the whole mirror was clear. She smiled wryly, pleased with her abilities. This was going to be easier than she thought.

After telekinetically removing clothes from her closet, Ellie sat comfortably on the bed clad in her favorite black sweatpants and long-sleeved volleyball t-shirt from Twin Lakes High School. It still fit, and it was looser now since she'd lost so much weight. After joining S.H.I.E.L.D., she'd gotten stronger with training, but lost a great deal of body weight due to the high stress levels of her job. Nutella would solve that problem. At the present moment, Ellie sat on her bed, eating Nutella straight from the jar with a spoon. The chocolaty, hazel nutty, thick bliss was her favorite comfort food, and she was surprised to find it in the mini-fridge in her room. Her phone alerted her with a cheery "Bazinga!" in Sheldon Cooper's voice. A text from Phil read "Avengers, please assemble in the meeting room in a half hour." _Avengers…everyone is here? Already? Huh. Thanks for telling me, guys. _Ellie sighed and stared into her Nutella longingly before shooting a quick text to Phil. It read "when the hell did they get here? and do i have to look nice? :P" Phil's reply made her chuckle:

"just now. Captain America's here! im gonna try to get him to sign my cards xD as for you, i wouldn't wear sweatpants and a tshirt." Ellie cursed. She just wanted to wear sweatpants and a t-shirt and curl up on the bed with her Nutella, but a good impression had to be made on the Avengers. After five minutes of lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling, Ellie sat up and stared instead at her closet. She telekinetically took out two pairs of pants and compared them side by side, deciding on a pair of dark jeggings, a flowy turquoise tanktop, and tan cowboy boots. Being raised in the South, Ellie owned several pair and wore them with everything, even pajamas. After applying some much needed makeup, she decided she was ready to go. But she still didn't have an alias, and that bothered her. Nothing was coming to mind, so she texted Phil about her dilemma. The agent responded with alacrity:

"been thinking bout that 2. how about Psyche? or Cerebra?" _Cerebra, _she breathed, _perfect._ She didn't like Psyche; it would forever remind her of her terrible Lit 2000 class in college. But Cerebra- well, it was simple. It was majestic and demanded attention; but was yet subtle and tasteful. _Cerebra._ It was perfect.

"meet Natasha on the runway in a half hour. you and her will welcome Captain America and dr banner," read a text from Phil 10 minutes later. Ellie rolled her eyes and prayed a silent prayer to anyone listening. She and the Black Widow didn't get along well, for reasons Ellie didn't fully understand. From the first day she had joined S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Romanoff had been cold and snide. Usually Ellie got along with everyone, but she would not consider the spider a friend. She left her room, sad to part with her Nutella, and met Natasha on the bridge.

"Agent Dawson," the redhead greeted coldly with a curt nod. Ellie suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. Why did Natasha always have to be so perfect and prissy? Good Lord, did she ever smile?

"Black Widow," Ellie replied with a smile. The Russian glared at her.

"Don't call me that," she commanded in frosty tone. The blonde muttered a sorry and shot a look at Coulson out of the corner of her eye, whose countenance betrayed sympathy.

"The jet just landed," Agent Hill announced in an informative voice as she looked over the computers.

"Let's go," Natasha sighed. It sounded like she was bored out of her mind. Ellie and the redhead walked out the door and headed to the runway. Her phone yelled "Bazinga!" as they walked out, and the Russian spy wrinkled her nose in annoyance. It was another text from Phil.

"mention my trading cards, please? :)" she chuckled and replied,

"you bet ;)" before pocketing her phone and matching Natasha's stride. The sunlight shone brilliantly and Ellie shielded her eyes from the rays as she stepped onto the runway. Having no idea what to do, she followed Natasha to the jet, and the man who stepped out of it took her breath away. He was handsome-classically so, with dark blonde hair carefully styled like someone from the 40s. He was tall, and, well, muscular. Ellie could tell even though he was wearing a leather jacket and khakis. Natasha addressed him first.

"Captain Rogers," she greeted with ease and professionalism. He looked at her and blinked a couple times before replying,

"Ma'am," and quickly bobbing his head.

"I'm Agent Romanoff. Welcome aboard," she continued in her smooth and practiced voice. The captain nodded and shook her hand as his gaze fell to the woman next to the redhead. She was beautiful dame; easily one of the most beautiful women he'd ever laid eyes on. She smiled sweetly and her eyes sparkled. They were a unique color-lavender? Gray? Steve couldn't tell for sure, but he couldn't take his eyes off her. Ellie noticed his lingering gaze and fought to keep a heated pink blush from crawling to her cheeks. She hoped her voice wouldn't come out in a squeak when she introduced herself.

"I'm Ellie Dawson," she greeted, pleased her voice hadn't come out sounding like a mouse, "it's a pleasure to have you onboard, Captain." He shook her hand and smiled. Gosh, he was dashing. _Dashing? Ellie, who uses that word anymore? _She thought, silently hoping she didn't say it aloud. Natasha left the two of them to greet another Avenger. It looked like it might be Dr. Banner, but she couldn't tell nor did she care at the moment.

"Well, it's…it's good to be here," Steve Rogers responded warmly. The pair of them began to walk toward Natasha and Dr. Banner.

"Heard it was quite the buzz when they discovered you on the ice. Phil was literally about to swoon," Ellie attempted to make small talk with the very handsome Captain America. He looked at her in confusion.

"Phil?"

"Oh, umm, you probably know him as Agent Coulson. Did he show you his trading cards yet?"

"He has trading cards?"

"Yeah, apparently they're a rare vintage set. He's proud of them, and slightly obsessed." Steve chuckled at her comments. Suddenly, a great humming noise filled the air and the workers scattered about, securing various aircrafts in place. Natasha spoke in an authoritative voice.

"Gentlemen, you might want to step back. It's gonna get a little hard to breathe." Seconds later, the carrier lifted itself out of the water and slowly climbed into the sky.

"Should we go in?" Dr. Banner asked tentatively. Agent Romanoff nodded and motioned for the three of them to follow her inside.

"Ladies first," said Steve as he opened the door for Ellie. Ellie grinned and thanked him, blushing slightly. No, being an Avenger wasn't going to be bad at all.


	4. A Simple Board Game

**Sorry it took me a while to update. I had driver's ed all week (which was HELLISH; I freaking hated every single minute of it) and that took up all my time. Plus I'm going to be a senior so I'm working on college related things and I haven't had much time to write. I'll be going on vacation on Sunday… eight hour drive to North Carolina so I will definitely have time to write on the way there. Oh by the way, I did some research, and after I had decided on Ellie's superhero name being Cerebra, I discovered a Marvel character with the same name. :-/ but she isn't so well known, so I figured it's ok. I did think of Cerebra myself before I found the other one. Without further ado, here is the fourth chapter to "You Save Me."**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except my own character. **

**Chapter Four-A Simple Board Game**

Captain Steve Rogers was overwhelmed with, well, everything. First, there was the awakening after the crash. Second, he'd missed 70 years of history. Third, there were the advancements in technology and digressions in the English language. Steve wondered if anyone today actually knew how to spell or speak. The worst was all the young people overusing "oh my god" and "amazing." Fourth, a mythological Norse god/psychotic alien being was trying to take over the world and Steve was to lead a group of superheroes that would stop it. This was going to be interesting. At least some of these people were nice. Agent Phil Coulson, for instance. Steve thought him to be a genuinely friendly person, even if he was a little bit of what the pretty blonde girl had called a "fan boy." What was her name again? Lily? No, Ellie. That was it. At the present moment, he, Ellie, Agent Romanoff, and Dr. Banner walked briskly through the winding hallways of the helicarrier to the bridge. It was almost painfully silent; the tapping of their footsteps on the metal floor was the only sound. Ellie, sensing the awkward stiffness, decided to break the ice.

"Y'all wanna play Scrabble in the break room?" Steve detected a slight relaxed lilt in her voice when she spoke and immediately decided he liked it. It was warm and inviting, not cool, informative, and overly professional like some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were. The redheaded woman looked back at Ellie with a stern expression on her face.

"We don't have time for that," she said shortly.

"Of course we do. Nobody's arriving till tomorrow, so we have some free time." Dr. Banner smiled weakly at her suggestion, but said nothing. Natasha was rendered silent by Ellie's reply, and the uncomfortable quietness settled like a blanket over them again.

"What's Scrabble?" Steve piped up. Ellie smiled and looked at him with those unique eyes.

"Scrabble," she began, "is a word game. Each player is given seven tiles, each with a letter on them. The letters are worth different points, and you have to make words out of the letters you have, and you can play off other people's words. It's my favorite board game."

"Sounds like a lot of thinking," he remarked.

"Oh it is, but it's fun to see what words people come up with." Her smile was dazzling and it almost looked like she was batting her long eyelashes when she blinked.

"I'll play if we have time," he offered, hoping he didn't sound too eager.

"Great!" she exclaimed, her grin broadening. "Anyone else? Doctor?" Bruce Banner smiled weakly as he replied,

"No thanks, I should probably get to work on locating the Tesseract." Ellie shrugged.

"Then I guess it'll just be Steve and me," she said with finality. Steve smiled and nodded. Suddenly, he didn't feel as overwhelmed anymore. Funny how a simple board game with a beautiful girl could do that.

~*000*~

"Barton's been compromised," Phil replied quietly when Ellie asked about the archer's whereabouts later that evening.

"Compromised?" she inquired suspiciously, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow at his response. He sighed.

"Loki used the staff to overtake and control Barton's mind."

"That doesn't sound like a compromise," Ellie commented.

"We don't know what else to call it. He's working for Loki against his will, along with Dr. Erik Selvig." Ellie's eyes widened and she could almost feel a heavy weight being placed on her heart. She knew Dr. Selvig through Jane Foster: she and Ellie had been friends in college, and she, Darcy, Jane, and Erik were good friends. The fact that such a brilliant mind could be overtaken was daunting. The situation was looking graver by the hour.

"Do we know where they're located?" Phil shook his head.

"We should know soon. Once Dr. Banner and Mr. Stark locate the Tesseract, we'll find them." The connotation with which he uttered Stark's name was very negative. Ellie looked at the agent with a curious eye.

"Do you not like Mr. Stark?"

"Well," he began with a sigh, "it's just that… well…" he paused, thinking of the correct words to describe the billionaire, "he's kind of an arrogant ass." Ellie burst out laughing at his words.

"It's not a joke, Ellie. I had to babysit him once-" Phil was cut off as she laughed even harder.

"Babysit?" she almost spit out.

"Yes. Fury assigned me to him maybe two years ago to make sure he didn't do anything…stupid." Her laughter continued as he fixed his coffee. "Honestly, it took every ounce of my patience not to taser him every time he talked."

"You and that taser, Phil…" she remarked with a grin on her pretty face. He sat down at the table with a huff.

"Seriously. It's quite the helpful device." At that moment, Steve walked in the door, looking slightly confused. His whole countenance brightened when he saw Ellie and Agent Coulson sitting at the table. Phil tried to hide the sheepish grin broadening on his face.

"I was wondering when you'd get here," she stated at his arrival.

"I wandered around for bit… this place is big." She smiled.

"Phil and I were just about to play Scrabble," Ellie said as she began to set up the game. The agent furrowed his brow in question. She gave him a stern look as if to say, _this is your only chance to play a board game with the superhero you idolize._ They began the game, and Ellie felt the weight lift off her heart. Phil and Steve were a delight, even though they tried to play words that didn't exist. Good thing she had a dictionary app on her phone for those moments. About a half an hour passed before Phil rose and said he had business matters to attend to, leaving her and Steve alone. An awkward silence ensued; neither of them having the courage to start a conversation. After a while, Steve was the first to speak.

"So… you're part of S.H.I.E.L.D.?" She cleared her throat before responding.

"Yes… sort of. I mean, I guess I am now…" he cocked his head at her wishy washy response. "I should say, they brought me back."

"Brought you back?" he asked with obvious confusion.

"I worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. four years ago, then quit my job after about a year and a half and traveled the world for a while. I was in Paris this morning when they asked me to come back."

"Where all did you go?" She sighed, trying to remember.

"Mexico, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Scotland, England, and then France. My next stop was Germany, but I was asked to come back before that." Steve nodded and another awkward silence followed. "Didn't you travel a lot?" Ellie was afraid to ask him anything personal. She didn't want to upset him by asking about the war or anything, so she figured generic travel was a safe subject.

"Yes ma'am, I-" he began, but was cut off by Ellie.

"Call me Ellie. Ma'am makes me feel thirty years older than I am." Steve smiled sheepishly, _why did he have to be so darn cute? _ she screamed mentally.

"Alright, Ellie," he paused, putting emphasis on the Ellie, "I did travel a lot. Mostly around Europe, but not for pleasure. I was on tour most of the time."

"As the Star Spangled Man With a Plan?" she asked as her mouth twisted into a wry smile. Steve laughed nervously before responding.

"Yes, the star spangled man. You know about that?" She shrugged.

"Anyone who's into superheroes does. That's how you got famous, right?" He shrugged.

"I guess." The room was silent for a little as Ellie used her Words with Friends cheat app to find another word to play, save for the weather channel music playing on the flatscreen behind them. Steve studied her as she fiddled with her device. (He didn't understand exactly what it did, but she had said it was a phone earlier.) Her hair was a very light blonde, long and wavy, and her eyes were a beautiful violet color, and he swore he could see gray flecks in them. Her skin was also very fair, and there were a few freckles spread across her nose. A small pink scar spanned from her temple to the top of her cheekbone, and Steve guessed she'd acquired it recently. She bit the corner of her lip in thought. He liked the look of her lips-they were just-kind of perfect, full and pink.

"Ok, I got one." She moved her tiles across the board with a smile on her face, spelling VEXING off of Steve's word FIVE. "Ha! Thirty-four points with a double word and a double letter play!" He smiled awkwardly at her sudden outburst of joy.

"I still don't think I fully understand this game."

"Oh, don't worry, it gets easier as-" she was cut off by her own stomach growling in hunger. Her cheeks turned pink in slight embarrassment. She glanced at the clock on her phone. It read 7:00, and her body was telling her she needed food. She really hadn't been eating as much as normal lately, and she needed a real meal. Something other than Nutella and pretzels would be nice, but she didn't know how to ask Steve to dinner without it sounding like… well… a date. "Wanna get some dinner?" she asked hastily. Steve looked at her with a surprised look on his face. "Oh, I didn't mean like that- I-um…" they both laughed nervously at her awkwardness.

"Sounds great," he said with a dashing smile on his face. She nodded and they left the room. Of course, he opened the door for her like a gentleman. Ellie couldn't help but smile. Her sister was wrong. Chivalry definitely wasn't dead.

~*000*~

**This was sort of a fluff chapter, so I'm sorry for that. But, every story needs a little, right? I enjoyed writing this. Yay for Steve and Ellie awkwardness! By the way you can follow me on twitter at /gracc3. I post the links to new chapters in my tweets, so be looking for that. And don't be shy about reviewing-I'd love to hear from you guys! It really means a lot when you do so! Seriously I screamed with happiness when the last two people reviewed. Love you guys! xoxo **


	5. Dreams and Nightmares

**Wow, this is amazing that I updated the next day! An eight hour car ride really helped that, though. This chapter is a little more Ellie development. I promise the Avengers will be in the next chapter! Bear with me! Enjoy xoxo **

**Chapter Five-Dreams and Nightmares**

Ellie and Steve sat at a corner table in the cafeteria, attracting many incredulous stares and a couple jealous glares from other female S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel. Once she got him to talk, he simply wouldn't stop talking. It was mostly awkward rambling about nonsense, but she did learn a lot more about him. His parents were Irish immigrants to New York and joined the military soon after, but both died in the field. He'd studied and majored in art in college, which she'd found interesting. Ellie played the part of the quiet listener with interest, poking at her chicken caesar salad. Everything else in the cafeteria was fried or a week old, and she didn't want to risk that. After a while of Steve's nervous rambling about the Dodgers, her mind wandered elsewhere. She wondered what the evening was like in Paris. Well, more like morning. If it was 8 pm here, it was 3 am there. Her obnoxious drunk and partying neighbors would just be getting home and probably waking her up. Before she could think any more about Paris, Steve's voice interrupted her flow of thought.

"Ellie?" she almost jerked out of a snooze at his voice. His intense blue eyes searched her face. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah…I just… I'm really tired, you know, jetlag and all. Paris is six hours ahead of us, so it's really 3:04 am there and I'm normally sleeping at that time." She was surprised by how tired her voice sounded. If she could notice it, it must be obvious. His eyes widened and his countenance betrayed an apologetic expression.

"Am I keeping you from-"

"No, no, don't worry. I like talking to you- I mean, it's been a while since I've been able to talk to someone in English," she cut him off with a weak smile. She could swear she saw a slight blush tint his cheeks.

"Well, you haven't really done much talking."

"I'm more of a listener."

"But I don't know anything about you," he said with a bit of a smirk twisting at the corner of his mouth, "so. What about you, Ellie?" She shook her head and looked at the ceiling before taking a deep breath and looking back at him.

"I don't know where to start."

"Would the beginning work?" Ellie chuckled.

"Fair enough. Let's see… well, I was born in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee-" Steve chuckled a little at this- "What? It really is a town! I'm not making it up!"

"No, I believe you. It's just funny to me. Continue." She gave him her best flirty Aphrodite style glare before continuing.

"Continuing. Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. My dad's a doctor, and my mom-" she paused here. She didn't really want to tell him about Athena… that would be too much information. Besides, telling him she technically was a demigod wasn't something one did on a first date. _First date? Gosh, Ellie! You're so stupid! This isn't a date! We're just friends! Heck, we're not even friends; we just met three hours ago!_ She quickly fabricated something. "I didn't really know my mom. She left us when I was a baby."

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely.

"Don't be. I didn't even know her."

"Must've been tough that way."

"Sort of. I mean, my dad wasn't the best fashion adviser, so I was on my own in that department in high school. College was a little better. At least I had girlfriends there."

"Where'd you go to college?"

"Georgetown University. I wanted out of Pigeon Forge, so I went to the city."

"Don't people usually go to New York to do that?" Ellie shrugged.

"I guess, but I like the history of D.C. better. That's actually where S.H.I.E.L.D. found me. Apparently they were 'monitoring' me, so they recruited me right out of college. Don't know why the hell they did that, though," she said, taking a swig from her bottle of Sprite, "I majored in Classics."

"Classics…like Greek mythology?" She nodded with a mouthful of salad in her mouth, betting that she looked super attractive at that moment.

"Exactly."

"What were you planning to do with a Classics major?"

"Well, what were you planning to do with a Fine Arts major?" he blushed at her retort.

"Fair point." She yawned heavily and glanced down at her watch. It was 9:00 now. She didn't want to seem like an old maid or anything, but she wanted desperately to fall asleep with her head on the table. That was a becoming a bad habit of hers lately. Steve evidently noticed her tiredness and verbalized his concern.

"You've got to get some sleep," he said, picking up his and her tray and setting them on top of the trash can nearby. _Such a gentleman,_ she thought as he again opened the door for her. Once they neared the living quarters of the ship, they exchanged awkward goodnights and headed their own ways. Ellie blushed and grinned as she walked into her room.

~*000*~

Ellie was glad to take off her makeup and put on her old volleyball t-shirt and sweatpants. It was now 10:00, which meant it was now 4 in the morning in France. She needed sleep, badly. Before she knew it, she was snuggled under her covers and fast asleep, where dreams plagued her slumber.

_ Her father took his glasses off and ran a hand through his light blonde hair. His dark brown eyes locked onto hers, betraying pity and sympathy. Lines of fatigue etched his face and his usually strong features were haggard. He hadn't been sleeping well; no matter how many times Dr. Dawson denied it, it was obvious to Ellie. Her father sighed before he spoke. _

_ "Sweetie, I've told you this before. Your mom left when you were a baby. I haven't seen her since. You never got to meet her." Ellie's eyes glistened with unshed tears. She knew this was untrue._

_ "That's a lie," she said, her voice wavering, "I saw her today. She talked to me at school." His countenance darkened. His daughter was much brighter than other second graders-she wasn't lying. _

_ "What exactly did she say to you?" Ellie's bottom lip quivered and she bit her lip to keep from crying. "WHAT DID SHE SAY?" he yelled when she didn't answer right away. The tears slid from the corners of her distinctive eyes. _

_ "She said…she said it was time I discovered who I was. She said it was time to give me my gift. She told me wh-who I really am." Dr. Dawson rose from his chair abruptly, running a hand through his hair and pacing nervously. Occasionally he'd look back at her. Finally sat next to her at the kitchen table. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked, her voice small, tears spilling down her cheeks. The man wrapped his daughter in a warm embrace. _

_ "Ssh, ssh, sweetie, you did nothing wrong. What gift did she mean?" Ellie sniffled, and her father gently wiped a tear from her eye with his thumb. She took a deep, shuddering breath and responded, _

_ "If you let go, I can show you." Dr. Dawson pulled away from Ellie, watching her with a wary eye. He was highly suspicious of what might happen. His daughter took another deep breath and locked her eyes on the vase of flowers on the table. She shut her eyes tightly after a moment, and it looked like she was grimacing in pain. It was at that moment he realized what gift Athena had meant. The vase lifted three feet in the air, and the flowers contained spun in a circular motion. Dr. Dawson's heart beat faster and faster, and he was afraid it would burst out of his ribcage. His daughter was a demigod. He knew that, and he knew she would find out soon. This, he did not expect. His daughter possessed the gift of telekinesis. It was a fascinating discovery, but now he worried for Ellie's safety. If the wrong people found out about this…things could end badly. Terribly. Horribly. Beads of sweat started to form on Ellie's hairline. _

_ "Sweetie, you can stop now if you want." Hearing her father's words, her eyes snapped open and the vase crashed onto the table, shattering the glass and spilling water everywhere. She exhaled rapidly, all of a sudden looking sleepy. She looked as if she would start to cry again._

_ "I'm sorry I br-" He comforted his daughter with soothing words. She climbed into his lap and he tenderly stroked her hair. No one spoke for a very long time. After a few minutes, she stopped crying and whispered, "She was beautiful, Daddy." _

_ "I know," he murmured into her hair. _

Ellie moaned and tossed and turned in her sleep. She was covered in sweat and her hair stuck to her forehead. The first dream ended and faded into another one.

_A voice spoke from somewhere behind her. It was a chilly, menacing, voice, and would be seductive if not laced with evil undertones. A rush of cold coursed through her body, and her eyes shot open. A city lay before her, destroyed and burning. The civilians screamed and ran about with no purpose. _

_ "Do you not see this? I will teach these people about the great lie that is freedom. Freedom is chaos, and a world remade without freedom is perfection. These people-they cannot govern themselves. They need a ruler. I will be that ruler. All will kneel before me, and you shall be the first. You will watch your friends die, and the soldier's death will be the most painful of all. His screams will haunt you for the rest of your days." White hot pain shot through Ellie's body, and she collapsed. She couldn't tell what way was up or down, or where she was. She only knew one thing: the voice belonged to Loki; Norse god of mischief and lies. _


	6. Meeting the Rest of Them

**Chapter Six-Meeting the Rest of Them**

Ellie awoke much earlier than she wanted to. She couldn't sleep after the last dream. Even though she had never met the god or seen him face to face, she knew the chilly voice belonged to Loki. It unnerved her; made her skin crawl. The digital clock on the nightstand read 5:00 am. That wasn't too bad of a wake-up time, but she could have slept until 9:00 that morning. Try as she might, she just couldn't fall back asleep. She sat up in bed and faced her closet, telekinetically removing her favorite pair of blue running shorts, a black tanktop, and a blue tye-dye sports bra. Since she couldn't sleep, she might as well exercise and build her strength. Yes, she'd exercised in Paris, but…she just didn't feel physically or mentally ready for anything. She dressed and tied her hair in a messy bun at the nape of her neck. Taking her clearance card and room key, she padded soundlessly down the corridors. Maria had shown her where the training facilities and gyms were, and she was there in no time. The helicarrier was quiet. There were some agents on duty in the bridge and posted around various spots in the carrier, but other than that, everyone seemed asleep. When she got to the gym, she was surprised to see Natasha there. The Russian spy was working on her creepy seductive form of Krav Maga with another agent, and Ellie couldn't help but bristle with jealousy. Natasha shot her a look during the fight, and Ellie just shook it off and went to the far corner of the room, where she began to stretch. After about five minutes of stretching (she couldn't get to work without warming up; she'd been inactive for too long), Natasha came over and watched her. The Russian's gaze was a little unnerving and Ellie was resisting the urge to say something snide. Too late. Her annoyance levels were high.

"May I help you, Agent Romanoff?" she said without looking up from stretching. The redhead shrugged.

"I'm just wondering if you still have any abilities left. How long's it been?"

"Three years."

"You miss it?"

"Right about now," Ellie retorted, gritting her teeth. Natasha stiffened.

"See you around, Agent Dawson." It was Ellie's turn to stiffen as the redhead walked away. As soon as she left the premises, Ellie began her simple kickboxing with ferocity. She imagined various scenarios in her head, and played both offense and defense. She was surprised that she could still fight. Yes, she'd done it in Paris yesterday, but she wasn't as fast or as strong as she had been in the past. If she could still disarm and disable highly trained S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, she figured she'd be alright in the field. But, then again, they weren't going to fight other agents. It was magic and monsters and things they had never been trained for. After near an hour and a half of training, she left the facility. Her mind was in such a whirl that she ran smack into someone on the way out.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry I am so-" she looked into the twinkling blue eyes of Steve Rogers and words left her. "Sorry," she whispered, looking at her feet and blushing madly. He was wearing a tight fitting white t-shirt and khakis, and Ellie couldn't help but notice the fine lines of his solid chest through his shirt…_Ellie. Stop it. Now. You're acting like an Aphrodite kid,_ she scolded herself.

"It's fine, Ellie. You alright?" he said with a laugh. Her face was still red and betraying embarrassment, but she could respond without squeaking.

"I'm fine-are you ok? I'm so sorry I just ran into you-I just wasn't looking-"

"Ellie, it's alright. Are…you just leaving?" he asked, his voice betraying a hint of shyness. He couldn't help but notice how little clothing she was wearing-but he wasn't entirely averse to it. Her figure was slender and curvaceous, so he didn't mind the lack of proper clothing. He kicked himself mentally. _Stop staring at her, Rogers. You'll chase her off._

"Yeah, I got up early and came here…couldn't sleep. What brings you up here at this hour?"

"I normally wake up this time. It's what we did in the army," he said with a shrug. She nodded in response, not really knowing what to say next. She was so bad at holding conversations; Steve probably was bored almost to death talking with her. Finally she spoke up.

"Well I should let you get to training," she mumbled and skirted around him.

"Ellie," he said before she walked away.

"Yeah?" she spun around, pleased to hear him say her voice.

"Will you be at the meeting today?" She swallowed nervously.

"Of course." He smiled.

"I'll see you there." Ellie nodded vigorously and quickly walked away. He detected a faint whiff of orange blossom as she scurried away.

~*000*~

After a quick shower and protein bar breakfast, Ellie began to get dressed for the day. She stopped when the blue suit caught her eye. She hadn't tried it on yet, and she figured she should to make sure it didn't look entirely stupid on her when the rest of the Avengers arrived. She unzipped the front and shimmied into it. Jumping around the room trying to fit her boots on was interesting…she fell on her butt twice. The mask still hung on the hanger, gaudy as all get out. It actually wasn't that bad…it was just-gold. Gold wasn't a fabulous color, and Ellie always associated gold and glitter with the Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans. Sighing, she put the mask on over her eyes and the effect was complete. The suit was a lightweight material, padded at the elbows and knees. It clung to her body and hugged her every little curve. Surprisingly, it was flattering. Ellie hadn't really expected that. The gold boots reached almost up to her knees and were astonishingly comfortable. The belt could hold two guns and other tools, and she had a thigh holster if she needed it. The mask obscured her face and she now was glad she had one. It completed the desired "superhero" effect. She looked like Cerebra. Her phone yelled bazinga as she gazed herself in the mirror, jerking her out of her thoughts. It was a text from Phil, reading:

"meeting today. be on the bridge in one hour." She rolled her eyes and texted back:

"do i have to wear this awful suit? :P" His speedy response made her laugh out loud.

"hahaha it is pretty bad isn't it. sorry bout that. i would've done a few things differently but whatevs. wear something nice, tho. NO VBALL SHIRTS." She snickered and began sifting through her closet. Finally she decided on a cream colored oxford, a black pencil skirt, and a pair of cream and black heels. Makeup, a ponytail, and a simple pair of pearl earring completed her look. She looked in the mirror again. At least she looked healthier. She looked at the clock. It read 9:30. There was still a half hour until the meeting, so she decided finding coffee would kill time. She wandered the corridor until she found the break room where Maria had been making coffee the day before. She was surprised to see Steve inside. He'd changed and was wearing his Captain America costume. _Good Lord,_ was her only thought as she turned around.

"Do you drink coffee?" he asked politely as she walked in. Golly, she looked swell. She really was beautiful. She nodded quickly, her ponytail swishing from side to side.

"If there's enough, I'll have some. Thanks," she said, pulling out a chair and sitting down. The suit hugged his body, too, and Ellie couldn't stop sneaking furtive glances at him while he fixed her a cup. His shoulders were broad, and his posterior was kind of perfect…Ellie facepalmed mentally. _Ellie. This is lust. You are ridiculous. Stop it. _He turned around with a smile on his face, bearing a cup of coffee in each hand. She muttered a thanks as he set the cup down in front of her.

"You don't have a suit?" he asked, his eyes drinking in her attire. She laughed.

"I do, but I don't wear it that often."

"Why not?"

"It looks like a Mardi Gras costume."

"And mine doesn't?" They both laughed at his response, and an awkward moment of silence followed before one of them had the courage to speak.

"I don't think yours looks like a Mardi Gras costume," she said quietly. He smiled in thanks, blushing slightly and Ellie's phone buzzed again. It was a text from Phil.

"when you come up here, bring me coffee." She sniggered when she read it, and her grin only broadened when she saw the confused look on Steve's face.

"You alright?" she asked.

"Um…well…what just happened with…" he pointed at her cell phone. Her mouth formed a little "o" at his question.

"I got a text from Phil." He raised his eyebrows, waiting for further explanation. "It's a digital message. Instead of calling me, he can type out what he wants to say and send it to me."

"Why doesn't he just call you?"

"It's quicker and easier to send texts. Here," she said, sliding him the phone, "play around with it." She arose and fixed another cup of coffee for Phil as Steve fiddled with her phone. "Are you ready to go?" she said after a minute. He looked up and nodded, a smile on his face.

"Time to meet the rest of them," he remarked, holding the door open for her. She hoped he didn't notice her slight blush as she walked out.

~*000*~

The grin on Phil's face was absolutely pathetic as he sat next to Steve and bugged him about trading cards. Ellie had to fake cough and sneeze to keep from laughing out loud, and Dr. Banner gave a weak grin. As usual, Natasha showed no emotion. Nick Fury turned around from his elevated spot on the bridge and surveyed the group of people below him. Everyone was present, except Stark. God, that man was irritating. Thor wasn't here either, but he was from another world. They couldn't count on him at all times. Ellie played Temple Run on her phone until everyone arrived. Everyone being Stark. Fury, Banner, and Steve were in the midst of a discussion regarding the Tesseract, not that Ellie cared. Science wasn't her forte-she'd majored in Classics, for goodness sakes. She didn't understand a single word they were talking about.

"Sorry I'm late, everyone." Phil rolled his eyes as the billionaire strutted in, and Ellie could sense that everyone else in the room was stifling the urge to do so.

"No, you're not, Stark," said Coulson. Tony Stark shrugged.

"You're right, I'm not." He trotted up to the computers up on the bridge, covering his eye with one hand and looking around. He was creating a distraction: Ellie saw him place a bug on the underside of one of the computers. "How does Fury even see these?" he asked with his eye still covered.

"He turns," Agent Hill answered dryly. Ellie suppressed a snort and continued playing Temple Run. They continued talking about the Cosmic Cube, and Ellie perked up when Steve spoke.

"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?"

"He'd have to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier," answered Banner.

"Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect," countered Stark. Ellie had to give the guy credit: for being an arrogant ass, as Phil mentioned earlier, he was absolutely genius. She could tell just from the way he talked.

"Well, if he could do that, he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion at any reactor on the planet."

"Finally, someone who speaks English!"

"Is that what just happened?" Steve wondered aloud.

"Dr. Banner, good to meet you. Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into a huge green rage monster." Dr. Banner thanked him with a baffled look on his face. Ellie rose to leave the room, seeing as she wasn't needed here, when she heard Tony address her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, beautiful, where do you think you're goin'?" he cooed, leaning against the doorway. She raised her eyebrows and gave him her best not-impressed look. She'd had practice with this in the various countries she'd lived in when less-than-desirable men approached her, and it had proved effective. So far, it wasn't working on Stark. "Don't think I didn't see you over there," he continued. God, he was persistent. "I got an idea. You. Me-" was he asking her out? Wow. She rolled her eyes.

"Mr. Stark, you don't even know my name." Steve smirked when Ellie fired back.

"Sweetheart, call me Tony. And you are…?"

"Agent Dawson." He furrowed his brow.

"So your first name's Agent?" Fury responded before she could.

"Enough, Stark. You and Dr. Banner need to work on locating the Tesseract, and Agent Dawson has training to get to." Ellie shot the director a thank you look and walked out of the room without looking back. Tony ogled her as she walked away.

"Damn, she's hot," he murmured. Steve rolled his eyes as he passed Tony on the way out.

"Really, Stark?"

"Oh-hoh, is the captain a little over-protective?" He just stared at him flatly. "She was totally into me. Did you see that?" he asked, looking at the rest of the group for affirmation. Banner looked confused, Fury and Coulson glared at him, and Natasha shook her head. Steve trotted to catch up with Ellie, and they struck up a conversation. She looked up at him with a twinkle in her eye, and he smiled sweetly at her. Tony snorted.

"Not over-protective, my ass."

~*000*~

**I promise, it'll get more interesting soon. How'd y'all like my portrayal of Tony so far? Did I get his character right? He's my favorite Avenger. (Sorry Steve!) Next chapter should be up in a couple days. Thanks for reading! xoxo**


	7. Memories and Secrets

**Wow, you guys have been awesome. 2200 views? It made me so happy! Literally, it doubled overnight! I'd like to give a shout-out to the lovely folks who reviewed:**

**evilchick2010****-thank you so much for reading! Glad you enjoy it! **

**ladygoddess8****-I would ****never**** make Tony cheat on Pepper; I know he's not that type of guy. Besides, I like the while 'Pepperony' thing. They're so cute together! I just thought it would be funny if Tony hit on Ellie a little. **

**Telekenetic in the usa-**** thanks for reading! I was just sitting there smiling creepily as I wrote this… makes me happy that you found it funny as well **

**KayEsEm-**** thanks babe **

**Here we go! Chapter Seven!**

**Chapter Seven-Memories and Secrets**

_First. Distract target. Block blind jab. Counter with cross to cheek. Box the ears. He'll be confused and attempt a wild swinging blow. Use elbow block; right fist to solar plexus. With the wind knocked out of him, he'll be wheezing. Jump. Turn. Roundhouse kick. Finished. That was short…_

Ellie executed the moves in her head quickly and precisely in real life. Her training with other agents was working well. Although this particular trainer had been tough to beat, she'd laid him out in 7.36 seconds. He was probably just tired of training at this point, and so was she. She extended a hand to help the man up, and he took it gratefully.

"You're getting much better, Agent Dawson," the trainer commented. Ellie nodded in thanks as she took a swig from her water bottle. It had been one week since she arrived on the helicarrier, and she'd been training intensively every day, sometimes for hours on end. It was paying off-she could see improvements. She'd become much faster and stronger, in such a short amount of time. "Same time tomorrow, Dawson," her trainer spoke with authority. She nodded again as she walked out of the training facility. Next on her daily schedule was telekinesis training with Phil. This consisted mostly of organizing files or cleaning various rooms, but she didn't mind. Phil kept saying she'd learn to stop bullets in mid-air soon, and she snorted at that. As far as she could see, that wasn't going to happen for a long time.

~*000*~

"I just need you to organize these files today," Phil said matter-of-factly when Ellie asked him what she was to do that day. He left her to her own devices, explaining he had other business to attend to. She shrugged and began to stack and re-arrange files telekinetically and alphabetically. Normally, she would have liked to peek through some of the other agent's files, but curiosity was almost non-existent today. That is, until she caught a glimpse of her father's name on a file. _Why would my father be in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database….? _She wondered as she picked up the file and sifted through it. There were pictures of her and her father together, which brought smiles to her face, but others that made her bristle…just how long had they been monitored before S.H.I.E.L.D. recruited her? Ellie read the description with growing distaste.

** NAME: Dr. John Dawson**

** PROFESSION: Neurologist at Vanderbilt University**

** INTEREST: Dr. Dawson is a highly intelligent individual. His extensive knowledge of the human brain and mind would be an incredible asset to this organization. However, he has a daughter with even more extraordinary abilities, telekinesis being one of them. She too, would be an asset to S.H.I.E.L.D. The Federal government does not know about Dr. Dawson and his daughter, but other secret organizations have found out. We've been trying to keep them off the Dawson's scent. No further information to report. **

So… S.H.I.E.L.D. had been monitoring her progress since she was eight or nine years old…she skipped down to other notes, her heart beating rapidly.

**In 2005, Dr. Dawson was murdered in his own home by a rival organization of ours. His daughter, Elinor, escaped narrowly with her life. We're tracking her whereabouts in case we need her. She was last seen-** Ellie stopped reading as she fought back tears. She remembered that day in vivid detail, and had suppressed that memory on purpose. As she read this file, those memories all came flooding back.

~*000*~

_ "Ellie, listen to me. They can't hurt us. You're gonna be ok, you hear me? Just take this-" her father handed her a .22 Ruger pistol-"and if anyone tries to hurt you, you take 'em down, ok?" She nodded vigorously as tears streamed down her face. She tried to speak, but it seemed as if her voice had left her. The whirring of helicopter blades and the sound of government agents breaking in the upstairs windows greeted her ears and she started to cry. "Ellie, this is not the time to cry. You take this gun and hide in the basement, alright? I'll come get you when I'm done. I love you, sweetheart," he said, revealing a sincere love in his dark brown eyes. Ellie nodded and stifled another cry as she hugged him tightly, never wanting to let go. She savored the smell of his cologne, the feel of his comforting arms around her, and his steady voice before he released her, yelling "Go! Ellie, go!" The door to the basement closed right as the agents filed in, surrounding her father and pointing their guns at him. They relaxed their stance when a voice, (presumably the leader's), commanded them to do so. _

_ "Dr. Dawson, I'm sorry I had to come to you like this. It was the only way you'd listen," a deep male British voice spoke authoritatively. Ellie watched from under the crack in the door. She couldn't see faces; only feet. The voice continued to speak. "I need to know the whereabouts of your daughter. Is she here?" Silence followed the conversation before she heard agents moving. A muffled groan escaped her father's lips, and she saw him fall to his knees, held in place by the masked agents. Her dad's voice sounded haggard and tired. _

_ "I'll not tell you anything," he wheezed. _

_ "Your daughter is extraordinary. I could help her to develop her powers. Imagine how powerful she could be, and how famous the both of you would become. All I need you to do, is tell me where she is so I can take her and train her." She heard a deranged, tired laugh from her father. _

_ "Over my dead body," he wheezed again, staring at the leader with defiance. Ellie sensed what was about to happen, and it wasn't good. The blood ran cold in her veins._

_ "That's a shame, because I wanted you to see the fruits of your labor," the British man spoke, walking dangerously close to where Ellie was hiding. She heard the scuffling of feet and the sound of a gun cocking. _

_ "I'm so very sorry, Doctor. Any last words?" A moment of silence fell before the leader sighed. The gunshot rang out as Ellie threw open the door. _

_ "DAD!" she screamed, but she was too late. Dr. Dawson was dead, lying in a pool of blood with his eyes closed. He would have looked asleep if not for the blood…Ellie screamed as loud as she could. "How could you….HOW COULD YOU!" She screeched at the leader as he walked away. He did not look back as he gave his order._

_ " Torch the house. Leave him. Take her away," he commanded calmly. The agents pointed guns at her, but she telekinetically swatted them out of their hands. They then made a move to seize her. Ellie bit and kicked and threw punches as best as she could before she remembered the gun her father had given her. She fired her weapon blindly and downed three agents before using her telekinesis to knock out the remaining four. Sobbing profusely, she fled downstairs into the basement. She heard more personnel break in through the windows upstairs, and snuck out the back of the house. When she was sure the coast was clear and no creepy agents were following her, she bolted into the woods surrounding her house. After running for what seemed like hours, Ellie collapsed on the forest floor, still sobbing. When she was done, she took a deep breath. The gun was still in her hand. She'd killed someone with this gun. She'd killed three people. Her hand shook violently and she tossed the pistol away from her. She wished her father would come to her, embrace her, tell her it was alright…but he couldn't. He was dead. She'd watched him die… a fresh bout of tears burst forth and she sat on the forest floor, crying like a baby. Suddenly, a woman's voice spoke to her. Ellie knew exactly who it was the moment she spoke. _

_ "My little owl, do not worry. You'll be perfectly safe." She looked up into warm grey eyes on a classically beautiful face. _

_ "Nice of you to show up, Mom," Ellie spat the last word. The beautiful woman frowned. _

_ "Ellie, you know the gods cannot meddle in the affairs of their children-"_

_ "You could have saved him. Why didn't you?" Athena swallowed._

_ "When the Fates decide someone's destiny, it cannot be changed. You know this. Let me help you-"_

_ "I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!" Ellie roared at the goddess. The fierce glint in Athena's eye was unwavering. _

_ "Very well. You're a smart girl. You'll figure it all out one day," said the goddess of wisdom and war, handing her back the pistol before the light around her burned brighter and she disappeared. At that moment, thunder clapped and rain began to pour. Ellie looked down at the pistol and stuffed in inside her jacket before heading in the direction of the nearest highway. She took one last look back at the remains of her house before walking away. _

~*000*~

"Ellie?" Phil's voice jerked her out of her memories. She looked up with bloodshot eyes. "What are you-" his voice trailed off as he caught sight of the file in her hands. He walked over and took the manila folder from her hands, placing it in its rightful alphabetical place.

"Maybe this isn't the best way for you to train anymore," he said with a weak smile on his face, trying to help lighten the atmosphere. She nodded and wiped her nose on the cuff of her sleeve. "You're free for the rest of the day," he said, releasing her from training. Ellie whispered a thank you and headed back to her quarters. After her father's death, she'd run to a friend's house and continued on with college. When she joined S.H.I.E.L.D. at age 20, Agent Phil Coulson had been one of the only nice people in the organization. He trained with her, talked with her, and became more than a friend to her. It was almost like having a father again. She splashed cool water on her face to hide the tear marks, ignoring the running makeup. Just as she was about to change into comfier clothes, her phone buzzed.

"im sorry El. i didn't mea read that file. will tea and a game of scrabble help?" Phil's text was sincere. And, truth be told, she could use a cup of tea and thinking about words would keep her mind off bad memories. Ellie smiled weakly and replied,

"aaw thanks for thinkin of me. tea would be awesome right now." In a few minutes, she was in her sweatpants, a Georgetown University t-shirt, and had fresh makeup on. Another text came in from Phil.

"captain america said he wants to play!" She laughed as she took a water bottle from her fridge and headed to the break room.

~*000*~

"I'm sorry, Phil, BLOOPI is not a word," Ellie giggled at the agent's desperate attempts to earn points at the board game. Steve snickered.

"How do you know that?" Phil asked, challenging her.

"I just looked it up," she said, showing him the dictionary entry on the screen of her phone. "Yup. Facts. Don't argue with the facts," she said with a smug look on her face. He sighed, skipping his turn. Steve played ESQUIRE off of her word QUIT.

"I believe that's 58 points," he said, calculating it manually and writing it down on the scoresheet. She narrowed her eyes playfully while sipping her tea, looking at Steve over the rim of her teacup.

"You're cheating."

"I'm not cheating."

"Yes you are."

"How am I cheating?"

"Because I'm not winning," she said with a snobby sniff. The grin on his face broadened at her retorts. But, before he could say something clever in return, Tony Stark strolled in.

"Heeeeey, people," he greeted, half shouting. "Cap, Agent," he said, nodding to the men. They nodded back stiffly, and Phil pretended to shoot himself behind Tony's back. "Hey, sweetheart," he acknowledged Ellie, throwing her a dashing smile. "Miss me?" She just blinked.

"Honestly, no."

"Hm, that's a shame. What have we got goin' on here? Scrabble?" he asked, abruptly changing the subject while pulling up a seat and sitting next to Ellie. Evidently he didn't notice Steve's jaw clench involuntarily.

"We just finished, actually," said Steve stiffly.

"Well then, let's start another one," offered Tony optimistically. Steve muttered something about training before leaving the room, and Phil said he had 'other business' to attend to. That was a common alibi for him. Tony turned to Ellie after that. "Are you gonna make a lame excuse and leave, too?" he asked with a glint in his eye.

"No, I'll play. I really don't have anything else to do," she said with a shrug. Tony grinned and set up another game for the two of them. She really had to give him credit. He was a genius, and gave her a run for her money. He thought of words she wouldn't have played unless she used her cheat app. After a while, Tony became bored with the small talk, and decided to test Ellie.

"Ellie, can I ask you a few questions?" She looked up with a suspicious countenance, her periwinkle eyes narrowed.

"About what?"

"Um, just about like some S.H.I.E.L.D. members and stuff." It was Ellie's turn to smirk now.

"Why would you ask me when you bugged the system on the bridge?" Tony's brown eyes widened.

"You caught that? Huh, you're a little smarter than everyone else here…" She grinned at his surprise. "That's actually not what I wanted to ask you anyway. What I wanna know is-" he leaned in close to her face and whispered, "what's up with the sexual tension between you and the Star Spangled Pretty Boy?" Ellie almost did a spit-take. Thankfully, she'd just swallowed that last sip of tea. Her face paled and she stuttered.

"Wh-what?" she asked, completely caught off guard. The billionaire rolled his eyes.

"C'mon. It's kinda obvious. I mean, I can smell it in the air." She huffed in disgust.

"There's nothing. We just meet a week ago! How could we possibly-" she stopped when she noticed she was rambling. A smirk twisted at the corners of Tony's mouth.

"Oh, don't play dumb with me. I noticed within minutes of arriving on this airplane-ship thing." She bit her lip and tried to keep a blush from crawling its way up to her cheeks, but it wasn't working. "Yeah. See? Now you're blushing. But don't worry," he said before whispering in her ear, "this can be our little secret." He winked at her before heading back to the lab. A long sigh escaped Ellie in frustration. God, Stark really was irritating.

~*000*~

**Ok, sorry this took so long to update. I was on vacation and the internet at the house we were staying was ungodly slow and I couldn't update. But, here it is! What do y'all think of Tony in this one? Who can guess who the British guy was in Ellie's memory? This has been my favorite part to write so far. Oh by the way, if you've seen The Dark Knight Rises, go check out my profile. There's a poll there regarding a new TDKR story idea. Thank you for reading! xoxo**


	8. Stuttgart

**Heeeeey people. I was home all alone today and supposed to be writing application essays for FSU and UF, but this was on my mind and couldn't focus. I was even ADD writing this… darn Youtube. Oh by the way, sorry for the unimaginative title. If you haven't already noticed…I suck at those. :P anyway, go on Youtube. Look up "collegehumor batman meets the riddler." I laughed OUT LOUD-one of the most hilarious things I've ever seen ok, enough of that. But, before we move on, I'd like to thank little-miss-randomness17 for reviewing. Thank you so much; it means a lot when you do so. I look forward to hearing more! **

**~*000*~**

**Chapter Eight-Stuttgart**

The next few days were spent trying to locate Loki, Selvig, and Barton. The helicarrier buzzed with activity; a sort of nervous activity that made Ellie feel slightly apprehensive for whatever it was that was coming. The façade S.H.I.E.L.D. presented was a cool, calm, and collected one, but Ellie sensed a frenzy of turmoil under it all. Nick Fury was not a person to display any emotion, (she doubted he even had any), but when the director of the most prestigious intelligence organization in the world was on edge… it certainly couldn't be good. A knock sounded at her door, and Ellie quickly looked up from her book.

"It's open," she said aloud, wondering who it was. Maria Hill poked her head in. Ellie was about to break out her Southern hospitality when she saw stern look on Hill's face. "What is it this time?" Her fellow agent cleared her throat as she walked into the room.

"We've located Loki. Fury needs you on the bridge-the Avengers are being assigned their first tasks." The magnitude of Maria's statement hit her like hammer to the head. The Avengers…being assembled…and Ellie was one of them…she felt excited and uneasy at the same time.

"Do I need to wear that God-awful suit?" A small smile turned up at the corner of Maria's mouth.

"Not yet," she said with finality before leaving. Ellie closed her book-_The Iliad,_ stuffed her phone in the pocket of her jeans, and made her way to the bridge.

~*000*~

Fury turned around dramatically when they all arrived. Ellie smiled shyly at Steve, who returned her gesture with a quick nod of the head and slight smirk. When the captain wasn't looking, Tony winked at her and flashed a knowing grin. She rolled her eyes before turning her attention to Fury.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we've finally located Loki-"

"Took you long enough," Tony muttered. Bruce and Ellie snickered at his comment. Fury just glared at them with his one intimidating eye before they stopped.

"As I was saying, we've located Loki. He's in Stuttgart, Germany," he continued, pulling up a video of the god in a suit, heading into what looked like a gala. His demeanor was calm, and he walked with the huddled masses. Although he was dressed like a mortal, there was something…odd about him. He emitted a cool sense of indifference, (or was it arrogance?), and Ellie could tell from the footage the humans felt the same way. The powerful appearance he radiated was unsettling.

"He's not exactly hiding, is he?" Steve's voice jerked her out of her thoughts.

"No," Fury agreed, "which is why this assignment will be easier than we originally thought. We need to bring him back here and hold him until we find out exactly what he's up to. Stark, Captain, you're up." Steve and Tony nodded, and Ellie was surprised the latter hadn't said anything snide. After ordering them to suit up, the director turned to her and Natasha.

"Agent Romanoff, you can fly the jet?"

"Yes sir," she replied with cold civility.

"Good. Ellie, you will copilot with her. When we bring Loki back, you will act as a psychologist. Get in his mind. See what he's about. Understood?"

"Yes sir," Ellie managed with slightly clenched teeth. She **hated** doing assignments with the Russian. She wasn't friendly and always took charge, leaving Ellie with virtually nothing to do, then she complained Ellie was a lousy partner. _And you wonder why…_ she thought as she left the bridge.

~*000*~

A mere half an hour later, Ellie boarded the quinjet with trepidation. Stark would fly to Stuttgart on his own, leaving her, Natasha, and Steve the only ones on the jet. Steve smiled when she boarded.

"Nice suit," he remarked, making her roll her eyes with displeasure.

"Told you it looked like a Mardi Gras costume," she said with a defeated tone.

"I don't think it does. It-it looks good on you," he said as a slight blush appeared on his cheeks. She managed a quiet, shy thanks as she headed towards the cockpit.

"Delta one to bridge, ready for takeoff. Do you copy?" Natasha spoke into her headset. As much as Ellie didn't prefer her company, she had to admire the sense of professionalism with which she handled situations. Nothing phased her. _Probably helps that she doesn't have any emotions,_ Ellie thought as they took off. A voice came on the radio, broken up by static.

"Delta one, you are clear for takeoff. Over." The jet sped off the runway and zoomed out over the ocean.

"How long will it take to get there?" Steve asked. Ellie opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by Natasha.

"In this thing? Maybe 45 minutes." The captain's face looked stony, and there was a hard angry glint in his eyes. For the first time, Ellie noticed how his eyes, though beautiful, revealed bits of pain from years past. They were an old man's eyes in a young man's body, and Ellie felt a stab of sympathy for him. To wake up after 70 years of history had passed… and then be thrust into a completely different world and not know a single soul…she shook her head, as if shaking away all the depressing thoughts. The rest of the trip passed in silence. Once in Stuttgart, it wasn't hard to find the gala. Loki had driven them out of the stately building and had them cowering in the streets. Ellie watched in disbelief as several other Lokis appeared, preventing the huddled mass from escaping. He began to speak at that moment. His voice was just as Ellie remembered it from her dreams-cold, unnerving, and laced with seduction.

"Kneel before me," he commanded. The crowd looked befuddled at his words, and when they did not follow, Loki yelled. "KNEEL!" The frightened people did as they were ordered, and Loki continued to speak. "Is this not simpler? Is this not, your natural state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel." The last statement brought goosebumps to Ellie's skin. This guy was absolutely psychotic.

"Get me closer. I gotta go in," Steve said urgently as an elderly man stood up to face Loki. Natasha did as he requested. The landing dock opened, and Steve pulled on his mask.

"Good luck," Ellie managed before he jumped out of the plane. He landed right in front of the elderly man as Loki sent a blast of energy, which deflected off the star spangled shield. They exchanged words that Ellie couldn't hear before fighting. Loki matched Steve in strength and agility, and it looked as if Steve would lose for a couple moments. When the god threw Steve onto the ground, Natasha circled the jet, pointed the guns at the god, and spoke to him over the loudspeaker.

"Loki, drop the weapon and stand down." He looked up in annoyance, sending a blast of whatever it was from his staff at the jet. His emerald eyes betrayed absolute rage and hate, and Ellie had the creepy feeling that he was looking right at her. Luckily, Natasha was quick and maneuvered the jet so they weren't hit. At that moment, Steve jumped up and landed an impressive punch on Loki's jaw, sending him stumbling for a moment. Ellie felt a small surge of pride as he did so, and a smile crept across her face. Suddenly, the jet sounded its emergency alarms, and a flashing red message read "PA SYSTEM OVERIDE" on the display. "Shoot To Thrill" started playing over the loudspeaker.

"What the hell…" Natasha mused, pushing various buttons. Ellie only laughed. "What's so funny to you?" she asked, rounding on her.

"Stark's here," she said, and she heard Tony's voice in her earpiece.

"Hey ladies. Miss me?" Natasha huffed in frustration while Ellie spoke to him.

"Get down there quick, Tony. We need all the help we can get," she ordered, trying not to seem too urgent. She heard him snicker.

"Nervous for your boyfriend?"

"Shut up, Stark." He chuckled and she watched him join the fight. In a matter of seconds, Loki sat on the steps with his hands above his head. Natasha eyed her with suspicion.

"Rogers? Really?"

"Barton? Really?" she fired back. The redhead defensively crossed her arms and watched them take Loki.

"You like Barton!"

"Not in the way you do," she retorted, to which the spider had no comeback.

Ellie took the controls and let down the ramp, slowly maneuvering the jet so that it hovered above the ground. Once the man of iron, the soldier, and the god were safely inside, they took off and headed back to base.

~*000*~

The tension in the jet was almost unbearable. Black Widow just looked ahead, appearing calm, but Ellie knew she was on edge and listening to every word of Tony and Steve's conversation.

"I don't like it," Steve said with a perturbed look on his face. He'd removed his mask and Tony had removed his helmet.

"What, Rock of Ages giving up so easily?" Tony quipped in a joking mood.

"I don't remember it being that easy. This guy packs a wallop."

"Still, you are pretty spry, for an older fellow. What's your thing, pilates?" Steve looked at him in both question an annoyance. "It's like calisthenics. You might have missed a couple things, you know, doing time as a Capsicle."

"Tony, that's enough," Ellie reprimanded. She felt strangely like Phil after she voiced that, and now understood why he said he felt like S.H.I.E.L.D.'s babysitter all the time. Tony raised an eyebrow at her.

"See? Told you you were overprotective-"

"I am not-" she was cut off by a loud clap of thunder and a crack of lightning that looked as if it would split the sky in two. The jet shook as the thunder caused slight turbulence. Tony and Steve had to steady themselves to keep from falling flat on their faces. Ellie heard Natasha mutter something about damn lighting before Steve addressed Loki. The god pursed his lips and his knuckles were white from clinging to the seat.

"What's the matter, you scared of a little lightning?"

"I'm not overly fond of what follows," he said with a voice full of contempt. Ellie had just barely caught his meaning before the jet jerked again and a loud clang sounded from outside. _Thor's here,_ she thought. Her mythology classes at Georgetown were beginning to serve her well. At that precise moment, the closed ramp was ripped off the jet, and the most beautiful man Ellie had ever seen stood in the center of the aircraft. Sure, Steve was handsome, but this guy-it was clear he was a god. He had shoulder length blonde hair and a beard to rival the best of lumberjacks. He was also tall and very, very muscular. His red cape billowed with the wind, and he really cut an intimidating figure. He said nothing, only grabbed Loki by the scruff of the neck, and flew out into the night sky. Tony shook his head and put his helmet on.

"Alright, that's it. This guy is dead meat."

"Stark, we need a plan of attack!" Steve warned.

"I have a plan-attack," the man of iron snapped before flying in the direction of the gods. Steve looked around the jet in search of anything that would help him stop Tony, and found a parachute. He strapped it on with ferocity and headed toward the aperture.

"Steve, I wouldn't do this if I were you," Ellie warned. Natasha chimed in on the argument.

"She's right, Captain. These guys come from legend; they're basically gods," she explained with urgency.

"Ma'am, there's only one God, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that." With that, he took his shield and jumped out of the plane. Ellie was utterly surprised at the events that had just transpired, and clearly, so was Natasha.

"What do we do now?" she asked, tentatively.

"Honestly, I don't really know," replied the Russian spy. The two sat in silence as they circled the jet and scanned the dark forest below them for any sign of life. It was going to be a long night.

~*000*~

**And that's a wrap for chapter eight. Thanks for reading! What'd everyone think? I thought it felt a little rushed and awkward honestly…but I rewrote this like three times and this was the best of the three. Oh by the way-can anyone guess why Ellie and Natasha don't like each other? **hint hint-look up 'weaknesses of Athena.' That should help **


	9. Run, Little Hero

**Alright well here's chapter nine! Thank you, awesome readers and reviewers! I love you all!**

**Chapter Nine-Run, Little Hero**

A group of armed escorts was ready to take Loki to a holding cell as soon as they landed the quinjet. Ellie walked out last, skirting Loki and the armed escorts as if they would bite her. Her blood practically froze in her veins when she caught the look on the god of mischief's face. He was looking straight at her, and his lips curled into a sly smirk when she made eye contact with him. Shivers crawled down her spine, and she jogged to catch up with Steve. Out of nowhere, she felt a sharp prick at the back of her mind, and she heard Loki's chilly voice.

_"Yes, little hero. Run back to your soldier while you still have the chance, because neither of you have very much time."_ The probe withdrew, and Ellie shook her head violently as if to rid her mind of his voice. She daringly glanced back again, only to find that his sneer had grown larger. With one more shudder, she matched strides with Steve.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his blue eyes gazing into her periwinkle ones intensely. Ellie was taken aback by his question.

"Nothing…wh-why do you ask?"

"You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Capsicle's right. You look super pale all of a sudden," the billionaire chimed in. She forced a smile, but even she could tell it was weak and looked fake.

"I'm ok, just, tired." Tony eyed her with suspicion; his mouth twisting into a frown.

"Whatever you say," he replied, still sounding doubtful. Natasha looked skeptical as well, but she didn't say anything. Thor just stared at them all curiously. As they walked inside, Steve stole furtive glances at Ellie. Her face was pallid, her eyes were wide, and she all of a sudden looked ten years older. She wasn't just tired; that much he could tell. He slowed his pace so Natasha, Tony, and Thor were a great distance ahead of them. Grabbing Ellie by the elbow, he pulled her into an adjoining hallway. She let out an exclamation of alarm before Steve shushed her.

"Ellie, something's wrong. What is it?"

"I told you, it's nothing!" she said defensively, wriggling her arm out of his grasp.

"No. You were fine two minutes ago. What's got you on edge so suddenly?" She bit the corner of her lip and looked at the floor. His sky blue eyes were fixated on her.

"I… well…I was just warned." The captain furrowed his brow.

"About what and by who?"

"By **whom **is the correct grammar, captain."

"Ellie, tell me what's going on." Her eyes darted nervously around the room before she had the courage to confess.

"Loki spoke to me, in my mind as we were departing the jet." Steve's countenance was a stony one, and Ellie thought she detected a hint of anger in it.

"What'd he say?" he pressed. She took a deep breath before responding.

"Run, little hero, while you still have the chance. You don't have much time left." Ellie intentionally left the part about 'the soldier' out; thinking it would upset Steve further and possibly weird him out. He nodded, as if processing the information.

"We should tell Coulson or Fury," he said, straightening up and walking quickly in the direction of the bridge.

"No! Steve, no! They don't need any more to worry about right now!" she pleaded desperately, clinging to his arm as if that would slow him down.

"Ellie, this is serious. A psychotic mythological alien just threatened your life-"

"He's threatened the entire world! I'm only one per-"

"I'm just trying to protect you!" he rounded on her. Ellie's eyes grew wide, and Steve blushed slightly. His last statement could be taken as a confession of feelings, and he didn't want to chase her away by being so forward. It wasn't the right time. Apparently, she didn't recognize the confession, because her closing remark was a verbal slap in the face.

"I don't need your protection, Steve!" she hissed, her voice faintly venomous. Before he could retort, she turned on her heel and hurried away. He closed his eyes, cursing mentally. _Good job, Steve. You'll never get her back now._ He headed to the training facilities to blow off some steam. These were the times when he wished alcohol could work its magic and help him forget everything. Stupid super-soldier serum.

~*000*~

Ellie was mentally shaken up. First, there had been the whole deal with Loki. She knew he was probably just using a strategy to get her on edge. Divide and conquer; that was the easiest way to take down anything. Still, she couldn't help but feel that was a direct threat to her and Steve. Speaking of Steve…she'd really screwed it up. Her damn pride, her fatal flaw, had to rear its ugly head at the only man she'd ever felt anything for, even if the feelings were just budding. Damn her pride. Damn Athena. Damn the gods. Damn it all to hell. Why did she always have to refuse people's help? Ellie desperately wished she had some alcohol, but S.H.I.E.L.D. prohibited all agents from drinking, even during down time. Rather reluctantly, she'd settled for a cup of tea. The amber liquid was soothing, even if it wasn't alcoholic. She stared into her cup, thinking so much that she didn't realize what she was thinking about anymore. Her phone buzzed, pulling her out of her staring contest with the tea. A text from Maria read, "meet me in the briefing room in 10. we have 2 go over ur psychology stuff 4 tomorrow." Feeling snarky, Ellie replied with "whatevs" and set her phone down on the night stand next to her book. She'd changed out of her Cerebra costume, and into some stretchy black yoga capris and a hot pink tanktop. Her hair was in a messy bun on the top of her head, and her makeup had long since worn off. She guessed looked like an advertisement for a depression medication, but appearance didn't matter to her at this point. With an exasperated sigh, Ellie trudged out of her room and headed toward the briefing room.

~*000*~

Steve wiped the back of his hand across his sweaty brow. The boxing had indeed helped him to blow off some steam, but he couldn't shake all the anger away. Ellie was a torment to him. It seemed as if, for a while, she had feelings for him as he did for her. But, she had just spurned him and walked away. He wondered if all dames were this complicated. Peggy sure had been at first, but they'd warmed up to each other in eventual love… he couldn't think about that now. Those days were gone; over. He couldn't let those thoughts haunt him. With a huff, Steve returned the punching bag to its rightful place and peeled the athletic tape off his hands. A faint cough from the entrance of the training facility caused him to look up from his contemplations. Ellie leaned against the doorway with a lopsided rueful smile on her face.

"Hey," she said timidly. He nodded in acknowledgment, not really knowing what to say. She looked at the cup of coffee in her hand before awkwardly holding it out to him. "I…I made you a coffee. I don't know if you want it right now, you know, since you just worked out, but I figured I'd give it a try." He just stared at her, slightly confused. She heaved a frustrated exhalation. "Look Steve, I'm sorry. I really am. I lost my temper back there, and I shouldn't have. This coffee was supposed to be a peace offering, but I guess you don't want it now-"Steve's voice cut her off.

"I forgive you," he said quietly, taking the coffee from her outstretched hand.

"So…no hard feelings?" He shook his head and took a sip of the peace offering. The two stood there in awkward silence looking at the floor and shuffling their feet. _Do I hug him? Kiss him on the cheek? No. Those are stupid ideas. What are you thinking, Dawson? _ "I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked, hoping to curtail the awkwardness. He nodded again, trying to think of something not creepy to say. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, and she turned to head out of the training facility.

"Ellie?" he called.

"Yeah?" she spun around, a little too eager for her liking.

"Good luck with the psychology thing tomorrow."

"Thanks," she mustered before walking away. Steve sighed as he watched her leave. He was never going to understand women.

~*000*~

Ellie inhaled deeply. There were 7 minutes and 28 seconds left until she had to psychoanalyze the Norse god of mischief. She and Maria had gone over her script last night-walk in, introduce herself, settle in the chair, and try to be intimidating. She'd snorted at that part. Intimidate a Norse god? Yeah right. Ellie tugged at her blue pinstripe oxford. She had absolutely refused to wear her Cerebra suit, and Phil had agreed. He wanted her to look like a proper psychologist. Thus, a blue pinstripe oxford, black slacks, and black heels were the outfit of choice. She took another deep breath.

"You're gonna do fine. Just don't let him get to you," Phil said, placing a comforting hand on her arm. "We'll give you an earpiece. Hill and I can tell you what to do, and I'll be outside in case anything goes wrong."

"Let's pray that it doesn't," she said distantly. Phil gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before leading her to the lower level where Loki was kept.

~*000*~

"Why are you here, mortal?" Loki asked as soon as she strode in, his emerald eyes fixed on her. She suppressed a shudder and forced her words out.

"I'm a demigod, actually. So technically I'm only half mortal. But I understand your confusion."

"Good, Ellie. Keep it up," Coulson's voice sounded in her earpiece.

"What do you know about me, Agent Dawson?" the god inquired as she paced back and forth in front of the glass.

"You seek approval and admiration. You think that subjugating our realm will earn you respect in the eyes of your superiors. I just don't think you understand this realm as much as you think you do." Loki smirked.

"You assume very much, my dear." Now it was her turn to smirk.

"But it's true, isn't it? I know your plans," she stated, making direct eye contact with him and stepping closer to the glass. His green eyes seemed to see right through her soul, and his stature was intimidating. She was fighting the urge to run out of the room every second, but she had to stay and do her job. The woman amused Loki. She seemed calm, cool, and collected, but he would break her easily enough. "You wanted to get caught. You surrendered too quickly in Stuttgart. Someone like you has a plan brewing in their minds ahead of time." She paused, waiting for a reply, but none came. He continued to watch her, utterly fascinated by this woman. She was smarter than everyone else aboard this floating fortress. "You'll divide and conquer us. But can you really overtake all of Midgard? It's seven billion people-even a god isn't capable of such things." Her words angered him slightly.

"My powers are greater than you could ever imagine, daughter of Athena. I will be the king of this realm, and every last one of you will kneel before me." Ellie wasn't entirely surprised that he knew of her parentage. He was probably sifting through her mind right now, using telepathy or something like that. A surge of her fatal flaw rushed through her at that moment.

"I'll not kneel before anyone, especially you," she retorted with a hint of a snarl.

"Calm down, Dawson," Hill's voice warned her through the earpiece. Loki's sneer broadened and he chuckled.

"I accept that as a challenge."

"Of course you would. Your pride wouldn't allow you to decline it."

"Watch your tone, mortal. You tread dangerous waters."

"I told you earlier; I'm only half mortal. And you are a stranger to me; do you think I care how I address you?"

"Obviously not," he agreed, pausing for dramatic effect. Her periwinkle eyes blazed with rebellion, and he relished the thought of watching that fire dim as he broke her. "But you will kneel." She shook her head, chuckling nervously and hoping it sounded convincing. It likely wasn't; seeing as she was confronting the god of lies. He already knew more about her than she was comfortable with.

"Why me? Why single me out?" her curiosity was peaking.

"Your will is almost unbreakable, and you've presented a challenge too tempting for me to turn down. Essentially, you've started a game; one you cannot hope to win." Ellie suppressed more shivers.

"No. You will lose. Evil always loses."

"I wouldn't count on that," Loki replied, still smirking, leaning up against the glass.

"Ellie, you can leave now. He's not giving away anything," she heard Phil tell her distantly. Forcing a smile, she straightened up and made direct eye contact with the psychopath behind the glass.

"I'll win your game, Loki Laufeyson," she declared defiantly before turning on her heel and marching toward the exit.

"I warned you, Cerebra. You and your friends don't have much time left," he said, his voice darker now. She gave him one last glare over her shoulder before scanning her card and calmly walking out. It took all of her courage not to run, but she thought she'd handled it fairly well. That was, until, she realized her hands were shaking. She yanked the earpiece out of her ear as Phil approached her. He gave her a sympathetic look as they walked toward the bridge to report her miniscule findings.

"I know it was nerve-wracking," the agent offered. Ellie nodded and pursed her lips. When they reached the bridge, Tony was the first one to greet her.

"Hey sweetheart, how'd it go?" he said, swaggering up to her, but faltering when he noticed the serious look on her face. Natasha, Bruce, Steve, Thor, Hill, and Fury all stared at her expectantly. She only shook her head before replying,

"Dr. Banner was right when he said that Loki's brain was a bag of cats. He is absolutely insane." Thor looked very offended at her comment.

"Have a care how you speak! Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard, and he is my brother." That was the first time she'd ever heard the god of thunder speak, and his voice was rich and deep. It was very kingly, Ellie decided, and she liked listening to it. Natasha spoke up at this time, in a flat, monotone voice.

"He killed eighty people in two days." Thor bristled.

"He's adopted." Everyone snickered at his excuse. At least they could find some light in these dark times. She looked to Steve with a smile on her face, and he returned it with a bashful one. This earned her a sly grin and a wink from Tony. Gosh, he was fond of doing that. At least she was making friends. Her father would have been proud.

~*000*~

**Oh dear…Stellie had a fight. (That's their couple name; isn't it cute?) Alright, I have to admit, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, even though it was hard. Did I capture Loki's character correctly? He was hard to write. Tell me what you liked or disliked. Thanks!**


	10. Lovebirds?

**Alright. School starts Wednesday, so I'm trying to update at least twice before then. I don't know if that will happen for sure, but I'll attempt it. As always, thank you to those who reviewed. It makes me happy to wake up and see an inbox full of new reviews. xoxo**

**Chapter Ten-Lovebirds?**

"Lady Ellie, I am not sure that I understand how to play this game. How exactly is the horned horse supposed to jump across the cliffs?" Thor's booming voice interrupted her book reading as he strode into the break room, holding a cell phone in her direction. Ellie looked up with a quizzical brow as she took in the sight of Thor's befuddled countenance. _What the hell is he talking about?_

"What are you playing?" she asked, taking the phone from him and glancing at the screen.

"Son of Stark gave me this device and told me of a game called 'Robot Unicorn Attack.' I don't understand the point of it." She glanced over her shoulder and glared at Tony, who was trying to hide a broad grin. Bruce was snickering behind his hand, and Steve looked utterly bewildered. Thor was giving an unintentional puppy face, and he looked too confused for Ellie to refuse helping him. With a sigh, she motioned to the empty seat next to her on the couch and he took it eagerly.

"Ok. What you do is…" she explained how to play Robot Unicorn Attack on a cell phone while Tony and Bruce continued to hold in their laughter. After five minutes and a quick demo, Thor was successfully playing the game on the cell phone and singing along with the background song. Ellie rose from her space on the sofa and sat next to Steve, who was playing darts with Tony and Bruce. Steve caught a whiff of orange blossom when she sat down. _She always smells really good… _he mused as he stole furtive glances at her from the corners of his eyes. Stark would tease him relentlessly if he stared, so he was careful not to. She wasn't in the least like Peggy in the looks department, with her blonde curly hair and periwinkle eyes, but both women possessed the same determination and fighting spirit, traits he'd always admired. Her sarcasm and wit never ceased to amuse him, either, especially when directed at Tony.

"Shouldn't y'all be working on locating the Tesseract now?" she asked, looking from the billionaire to the doctor. Bruce opened his mouth to explain something, but Tony cut him off.

"We already done did thayat," he replied in a thick, fake Southern accent, "so we's just waitin' fer results naow." Ellie looked ready to sock him in the jaw.

"She doesn't talk like that," said Steve with an edge of defensiveness in his voice. She blushed slightly and thanked him. He awkwardly nodded his head and twiddled his thumbs, staring at his feet. Tony eyed the pair of them suspiciously before he turned to Bruce.

"You heard it, right?"

** "**Kinda…" she looked at Bruce with disbelief before he finished. "It's a slight lilt, not a twang! Tony was over exaggerating." Tony looked at Bruce dejectedly.

"Thanks for backing me up, man." Bruce saluted mockingly before turning back to the dart board. "Thor, did you hear it?" He was met with the sound of the Norse god singing the Robot Unicorn Attack song.

"That's gotta be the weirdest thing I've ever seen," Ellie declared distantly. They all gazed at the god of thunder in puzzlement, only to be interrupted by the beeping sound of Bruce's scientific device that was helping with the location of the cosmic cube.

"Looks like we're getting something, Tony." The two geniuses proceeded to leave the break room.

"See ya later, lovebirds," Tony quipped before he left the room. He was met with a fierce glare from Ellie and a surprised expression from Steve. Only at that point did Thor look up from Robot Unicorn Attack.

"Why does he call you 'lovebirds'?" Ellie shook her head as she rose from her spot next to Steve.

"That's just how Tony is, dear," she responded gently. He reminded her of an overgrown golden retriever puppy.

"Steve, you hungry?" It was nearing 8:30 and Ellie realized she was starving. Nutella wasn't going to make a proper dinner.

"I could eat," he answered with a shrug. He opened the door for her like the gentleman he was. Ellie was acutely aware of the slight pressure of his hand on her back, ushering her through the doorway. It was almost a tingling sensation, and she blushed. _He's probably doing it involuntarily, Ellie. Pay no mind, _she thought. It wasn't until a second or two that Steve realized what he was doing, and let his hand drop from her back to his side. The sensation disappeared when they were in the hallway, and Ellie was a little disappointed. Thor watched the exchange with a curious expression. When they were out of earshot, he muttered,

"Lovebirds…I still do not understand."

~*000*~

Ellie twirled her spaghetti daintily as Thor gobbled down three subs and a cup of coffee. Yes, coffee at 9 at night. But, she didn't question it. She'd never seen anyone eat that much, not even her football player boyfriend from high school. She, Maria, Natasha, Tony, Bruce, Thor, and Steve had all conveniently decided they were hungry at the same time. Currently, they sat at the biggest table of the cafeteria in the corner of the room. Stark slurped his soda loudly, trying to irritate Natasha. The expression on her face was that of absolute annoyance, and she shot him a death glare. He promptly stopped when he saw her eyes boring into his forehead. Ellie liked the feeling of togetherness. Even though she wasn't related to any of these people, it felt sort of family-like when they were together. Tony and Bruce were the genius twins, Thor was the clueless yet lovable big brother, Natasha and Maria the exasperated older sisters, and Steve was the polite and responsible oldest brother. _Wow, that was cheesy,_ she thought as she took a bite of the fluffy garlic roll. Tony cleared his throat to speak.

"Ok, so Bruce and I were talking about this in the lab. If we were in the Hunger Games-" Natasha murmured "Oh God," and Maria facepalmed, "who would win? Obviously I would, but if I had to choose someone else, it'd either be Thor or Ellie."

"I'd say Bruce," Ellie piped up. "You'd be like the first to die," she continued, pointing her fork in Tony's direction.

"Hey, she's right. Once your suit dies, you're outta there," Maria chimed in, a smirk twisting at the corners of her mouth.

"I could still use it to hit people with!" he protested, looking at Natasha and Steve for validation. Steve looked utterly lost, and Thor cocked his head in confusion.

"What are the hunger games?" Steve leaned over and whispered in Ellie's ear.

"It's a book series set in the future, where the government forces teenagers to participate in a fight to the death until there's only one left," she explained, her voice low to match his.

"That sounds terrible," he said flatly. Ellie shrugged.

"I thought it was entertaining."

"Does nobody think I'd win?" asked Natasha, trying not to sound too eager to join the conversation. Ellie was surprised when Bruce spoke instead of Tony.

"You'd last until the very end. You'd be in the last, three or something." The Russian agent looked indignant at the scientist's reply.

"I would not. I would so win!"

"Bruce would pound you into the ground and Thor would zap you with his lightning," Tony countered. Now it was Thor's turn to look indignant.

"I would do no such thing!"

"This is hypothetical, Thor," Maria said dryly as she took a sip of her Coke. Ellie's mind wandered as they continued to bicker about who'd win the Hunger Games. It felt like family to her now; the brothers and sisters she'd never had. _So much for divide and conquer,_ she thought, suppressing a snort.

"_All in good time, Love. Just you wait," _ Loki's chilly voice sounded in the back of her mind. Her eyes widened and she felt as if her heartbeat had momentarily stopped. How had he… when…oh God, he was reading her thoughts! Or had she just imagined it…? She shivered involuntarily and continued to pick at her pasta. Her appetite had suddenly diminished, and with it, her earlier happiness.

~*000*~

Eventually, Ellie left the cafeteria and headed back to her quarters; Maria and Natasha soon following. This left Steve, Thor, Bruce, and Tony together at the table. Almost as soon as the ladies had left, Tony looked at Steve with a gleam of mischief in his eye.

"Okay, Rogers. What's goin' on between you and Ellie?" Steve was a little taken aback by his question. Honestly, he was a little surprised that Tony had picked up on anything; being so self-obsessed.

"Sorry?" came his lame reply. Tony huffed in frustration.

"C'mon. She's a smart, beautiful girl. We all know you like her. The sexual tension between you two is…it's almost palpable!" Steve's ears reddened a little at the last comment. People these days just talked about 'it' so freely. It was foreign and uncomfortable to him, and something he doubted he would ever warm up to.

"You should ask her out," Bruce offered.

"Yeah, instead of pathetically mooning over her." Thor listened intently to the scientist, the billionaire, and the soldier. Wiping his hands on the napkin and taking a swig of coffee, he asked, just to be sure,

"Steve and Lady Ellie have feelings for each other?" Tony rolled his eyes and whispered something along the lines of 'oh help me God,' something he most likely picked up from Pepper.

"Yes, Thor."

"And that's why you called them 'lovebirds' earlier?"

"Yes, Thor." The god of thunder's face lit up in realization and he grinned.

"Now I understand the meaning of the word!"

"That's great, Thor. Anyway, Steve, when we're done with this whole alien god thing, ask her out. K?" Steve promised and left the cafeteria. Bruce, Thor, and Tony were the only ones left, as it was well past the dinner hour at 10:00. It was the most awkward of awkward silences as Tony checked Twitter on his phone and Bruce stared at the ceiling. The silence was broken when Thor chuckled.

"Lovebirds," he said to himself, still chuckling as he left the room.

~*000*~

**This chapter was a bit of fluff, but I figured that was ok since the last two chapters had some action. Besides, I needed a little more Thor in there. Anyways…who liked Thor playing Robot Unicorn Attack? I honestly laughed while writing this. I tried to incorporate a little bit of a Brony bromance… And if the Avengers participated in the Hunger Games, who would win? Tell me what you think when you leave a review. I look forward to hearing from y'all! (Haha see what I did there? I pulled an Ellie xD)**


	11. Am I Dreaming?

**Sorry it took so long to update. It was a terribly busy week that included the first day of school, getting my license, and babysitting twelve screaming two year olds who wanted to hit me with balloons the whole time. Not to mention that I finally submitted my first complete college application! I feel so accomplished! Ok, here is chapter 11. **

**Chapter Eleven-Am I Dreaming?**

Ellie paced around her room nervously. Loki had access to her mind. He could project his thoughts onto her. How was he doing that? Who else was he doing it to? Or was it only her? And how was she supposed to stop it? She supposed she could ask her mother…but then she remembered the words Athena had spoken to her in the woods so long ago: _The gods cannot meddle in the affairs of their children. _But could she still ask for help? She scrunched her eyes tightly and snapped open again, trying to stay awake. It was late, past one. A shower and a cup of tea hadn't helped to ease her nerves. She'd never felt like this before. The Big Bang Theory hadn't helped to take her mind off it, either. Ellie felt just as neurotic as Sheldon. As much as she wanted to think of a way to keep the god of mischief out of her head, she needed sleep or she would accidentally murder Tony tomorrow morning. At least, she'd make it look accidental. She really could have deranged thoughts sometimes. Two Tylenol pm's later, she was passed out on her bed, where dreams plagued her slumber.

~*000*~

_ Ellie blinked rapidly and looked up at the ceiling. It was pure white, with a slight shimmer to it. 'These aren't my quarters,' she thought as she lifted herself from the bed. Wait-what? Where was she, anyway? She slowly, groggily sat up, taking in her surroundings. What she saw shocked her. She was in a large bedchamber, decorated simply. Yet, it was stately. The high ceilings and shimmering walls were like something out of an interior design magazine. But, it was the view out of the balcony that took her breath away. Lush green mountains rose from glittering azure water, and small boats with brightly colored sails were docked at the well-kept harbor. Beautiful houses with Corinthian architecture dotted the hillside, and whitewashed roadways lined the center of what she guessed was the village. A cooling zephyr ruffled the fabric of her dress. It was only at that moment when she realized what she was wearing. Ellie was garbed in a Greek peplos. It was cinched at the waist with a silver girdle, and the shoulders were gathered with silver brooches. The dusty lavender color complimented her eyes. All in all, it was a beautiful gown, and so much more comfortable than anything she'd ever worn before. She had suspicions of where she was, but she didn't want to admit it to herself yet. When Ellie finally tore her eyes away from the breathtaking scenery before her, she noticed a slip of paper lying on the bed. Gingerly, she picked it up. The script was even and flowing, written in perfect cursive._

_ "Dearest Elinor, I wish to speak to you privately. Please come to my quarters as soon as possible." Instead of a signature at the bottom, there was a stamp of an owl. She sucked in a deep breath. She'd suspected it, but the note from her mother was confirmation. She was in Olympus. A smile spread across her face. Her classics professors would kill themselves to see this place. This only broadened her grin. Athena had provided no directions, but she could certainly find her way. She strode out of the double doors, and this view took her breath away, too. Corinthian columns lined the hallway, and elaborate gardens filled the courtyards on either side. There were flowers she'd never seen before-all sorts of blues and pinks and yellows, with little waterfalls and pools scattered about. A flicker of movement in one of them caught her eye, and she was immediately drawn to it. When she knelt down next to the pool, what she saw surprised her. A sea nymph with large eyes and thick glossy hair looked up at her. It giggled, then swam away faster than Ellie could blink. She walked through the gardens the rest of the way to Athena's quarters. Fig trees, lotus blossoms, pomegranates, asphodel, and trees laden with golden apples were among the interesting plants she could recognize. Her brain was on overload mode. There was almost too much for her to comprehend. She felt the strong urge to document everything she saw, being a nerd and a Classics major, but words could never capture the real beauty of Olympus. Soon, she was out of the gardens and in the coolness of the hallway again. The people here were different. But then again, they weren't human. Humans weren't allowed in Olympus. These were all gods, minor gods, and demigods. They were extremely beautiful, but not in a superficial way. Not everyone looked like a supermodel, as she had foolishly expected. They looked…normal, but there was some hidden quality about them that made them…radiant. That was the correct word. Many smiled and waved cordially at her as she passed, and she found herself returning the gestures. She wondered if she were related to any of these people. It was quite possible she had some half brothers or sisters. Maybe she would ask Athena when she arrived. She turned a corner and found herself in a simple courtyard of white and pink marble. Spanish guitar-sounding music played faintly in the background. A white fountain in the shape of an olive tree was displayed in the center, with water dripping from the marble branches. Ellie heard a cooing sound from above, and a large snowy owl stared down at her from the top of the tree. She knew she was in the right place at that moment. Quietly, and a bit hesitantly, she approached the door across the courtyard. It was white wood, carved with intricate designs of various plants and of course, owls. She raised her hand to knock on the door when the goddess of wisdom spoke. _

_ "Come in, Elinor. No need to knock." The voice was calm and soothing, but had subtle undertones of authority and harshness. Ellie pushed the door open with an involuntary shiver running through her body. Olympus just continued to amaze her as she looked about Athena's quarters. The wall was a deep dark blue color with stark white trim. In the middle of the room, dark chocolate colored table lay covered with scrolls and antique leather bound books. Actually, scrolls and books lay scattered about the entire room. The far wall displayed various weapons-an ivory bow, sparkling swords, a silver battle horn-that was the war part of the room. She guessed she was in a workspace because she didn't see a bed or a nightstand of some sort anywhere. The Greek goddess of wisdom and war sat at the table, scribbling madly with her quill. She looked up when Ellie walked in. _

_ "Elinor. I've missed you," she said in her smooth voice, a smile spread across her face. Ellie searched her mother's face for any lies about the last statement, but there was nothing but truth in those gray eyes. Her mother was beautiful. She looked nothing like the pictures in textbooks or statues in museums. Her high cheekbones, full lips, and dark hair were ethereal. Not knowing what to say, Ellie looked at the floor and shuffled her feet. _

_ "Nice place," she remarked, cursing mentally for her lameness. The goddess smiled wryly._

_ "Olympus is lovely, isn't it? I thought you would enjoy that view of the bay." _

_ "Am I dreaming?"_

_ "Yes and no. Your body is in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s helicarrier in your bed, but your spirit is with me." Ellie's eyes widened and her mother seemed to read her thoughts. "No dear, you're not dead. Your coworkers would find it odd for you to just disappear from their aircraft, and taking your consciousness is easier." She nodded as a silence befell them. The Spanish sounding guitar music was still playing, and it sounded suspiciously like Rodrigo y Gabriela. Her curiosity was peaking and she just had to ask._

_ "Are you listening to Rodrigo y Gabriela?" Athena laughed. _

_ "Actually, I am. They are highly talented mortals; I admire their skills. But, we must now discuss more important things." She motioned to a chair across from her at the table. "You are worried, daughter," she observed, cautiously. "Loki can read your thoughts. He can read everyone's thoughts, but since your observation and telekinetic skills are so finely tuned, you are more sensitive to him." Ellie nodded, absorbing every word her mother uttered. This time, she would listen to her mother. She was determined not to repeat the episode in the woods. "I brought you here to teach you some quick and simple techniques to keep him out of your mind. It won't be much, but it'll be better than nothing. Are you ready?" Ellie nodded again, bracing herself whatever was about to happen. Her periwinkle eyes locked onto Athena's gray ones. She felt a sharp prick at the back of her mind, like she did when Loki did this. Suddenly, the probe burned hotter, and memories of her past came flooding back to her-memories like the time she'd discovered telekinesis, her father's death, and her joining S.H.I.E.L.D. Her mother's voice spoke over the pain. "Think, Elinor! Drive me out! Build a wall!" Ellie tried to do what she was instructed. Her hands grasped the chair with white knuckles, and beads of sweat began to form on her forehead. It startled her when she was able to form a probe of her own. It lashed out and struck Athena's probe, giving her enough time to mentally build a makeshift wall. She felt an enormous pounding in her head as her mother tried to dig into her mind. Abruptly, the feeling was gone. When Ellie opened her eyes, her mother's gray eyes had a hard look in them. _

_ "That was good, but I retreated for you. Loki will not be as merciful as I, however. Shall we try again?" Ellie nodded and steeled herself for the next bout. It went on in this fashion for five more times before they mutually decided it was enough. The sun was setting over the bay when they were finished. "Just practice that, Cerebra. You are strong enough, and you can win his game. No daughter of mine will lose. I refuse to see that happen." Ellie smiled weakly, detecting a hint of parental pride in her mother's voice. The goddess sighed. "I must send you back now. It's almost time for you to rise, and you need some restful sleep for a chance. Not to mention, your soldier is waiting," she said with a knowing smirk. Ellie blushed and ignored her last comment._

_ "Thank you for everything," she said breathlessly, feeling empowered. Athena waved her hand dismissively. _

_ "I must protect my children. Now, go. You're needed back on the helicarrier." And with that, a bright, glowing light slowly filled the room, obscuring Ellie's vision and blinding her momentarily. It grew brighter and brighter until it was almost unbearable, and then total darkness consumed her._

~*000*~

She awoke with a start as her phone alarm beeped and wildly threw her blankets off, surveying her surroundings. She was back on the helicarrier, and slightly disappointed. Olympus was more stunning than she ever could have believed, and she was thankful she'd had the chance to experience the realm of the Greek gods. She swung her legs over the side of her bed and rubbed her eyes. Sleepiness hit her like a brick wall, and she wanted nothing more than to crawl back under the covers close her eyes. But she needed to get up. It was 7:00. Most of the helicarrier was probably awake now. A warm shower helped her wake up. Just when she was about to put on sweatpants, she hesitated. She might as well wear her Cerebra suit. Everyone else had their costumes on; she guessed it couldn't hurt to wear hers. Taking one last look in the mirror, a deep sigh escaped her. She felt ready for anything.

~*000*~

A little stroke of jealousy welled up inside of her as Fury announced Natasha's assignment. Since Ellie had failed to ascertain any information from Loki, it was the Black Widow's turn to pick his brain. Natasha accepted her orders with an emotionless "yes sir" and sped off to the holding cell after securing an earpiece. She was not in the least bit nervous; Ellie could tell, and she could swear that she saw Natasha give her a smug look before leaving the bridge. Then again, it could have been her imagination. The meeting was over, and the Avengers scattered to various places. Thor was still playing Robot Unicorn Attack on someone's phone, and Tony and Bruce were in the midst of a heated conversation regarding the Tesseract. That left Steve and Ellie together, or "Stellie" as Stark had so affectionately nicknamed the pair of them. Steve looked at Ellie with his expressive sky blue eyes.

"Scrabble?" he asked, hoping it sounded casual. Tony had been pressuring him to ask her out, (still a term he wasn't entirely familiar with), but he was honestly too nervous to do so.

"Sure," she said with a smile. The two of them walked to the breakroom together to start a game. As she attempted her shy version of flirting, Loki's warning lingered in the back of her mind. Although he wasn't presently digging around in it, she put up a mental wall anyway. _All in good time, Love. You just wait._ She shivered involuntarily, causing Steve to look down at her in concern.

"Are you alright?" She reassured him with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah, just random chills. I'm fine," she said cheerily. He shrugged, still skeptical, but he didn't question her. She got a pot of coffee going once they reached the breakroom. While the glorious caffeinated drink brewed, they chatted, though somewhat awkwardly and nervously. Ellie had no idea how to be interesting and talk to guys, and she got the vibe that Steve didn't know how to talk to women very well either. Maybe she'd ask Aphrodite for advice on that subject if she ever went to Olympus again.

~*000*~

**This chapter was hard to write because I did it in the wee hours of the morning. Again, I'm sorry for the lack of updating. It's been a stressful week. By the way, while I wrote this chapter, I was quietly listening to Rodrigo y Gabriela. Check them out on youtube. My favorites by them are 'Paris,' 'Capitan Casanova,' 'Diablo Rojo,' and 'P.P.A.' To quote Athena here: "they are very talented mortals." Haha. One more thing: go on my profile. There is a poll there regarding items for a possible sequel to "You Save Me." I want to know which superhero you would like to see join the Avengers in the possible sequel. Can't wait to hear your opinions! **


	12. The Beginning of the Game

**OMG YOU GUYS THE AVENGERS IS IN THEATERS FOR LABOR DAY WEEKEND! SO EXCITED! I'm gonna go see it one more time. That would make it my sixth time. Now back to the story…or anything Avengers related. Go on my Twitter. Username is gracc3. In my past tweets, there is a link for the Avengers gag reel. I know it's a little late to be saying that…but I discovered it like two weeks ago and forgot to make you guys go watch it. Sorry! Now onto the story! :D**

**~*000*~**

**Chapter Twelve-The Beginning of the Game**

Natasha didn't seem at all worried about going to interrogate the Norse god of mischief. Ellie was jealous. She swore she saw her fellow agent give her a snide smug on her way to the lab. _Don't be snide back, don't be snide back, don't be snide baaaaack…_ Ellie thought as Natasha walk by. _Too late. _

"Good luck, Romanoff. You'll do just great," Ellie said sardonically, her eyes narrowing. _I have a bad attitude, _she thought as Natasha shot her a nasty glare.

"Thanks, Dawson. Maybe this time we'll get some useful information," she shot back with mock cheer. She walked away before Ellie could retort. Ellie sighed and continued in the opposite direction, to Bruce and Tony's lab. Since the both of them affectionately called her and Steve "Stellie," she'd taken to calling the two of them "Brony." Tony didn't seem to mind, but Bruce always stiffened a little at the sound of their nickname. She inhaled and exhaled deeply in frustration, cursing her pride and jealousy. On the way to the lab, she tried building a visual wall around her mind to block out Loki, just in case he would communicate with her while attempting to mislead Natasha.

"…a stress free environment. No tension, no surprises…" she caught only part of the conversation as she approached the lab. Tony was speaking and she heard a surprised (maybe annoyed) exclamation from Bruce.

"Stark, that's enough. You're putting people's lives in danger," she heard Steve speak. He was using his 'Captain America' voice at the moment; very different from his Steve Rogers voice. Either way, his dislike for Tony Stark was evident. It was at that moment that Ellie timorously entered the laboratory.

"Y'all ok in here?" she asked in a meek tone.

"Cap's just being oversensitive," Tony answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Is everything a joke to you?" the captain's gaze was hard.

"Funny things are."

"Putting innocent people's lives at risk isn't funny." Ellie stared at the three of them in confusion.

"Whose side am I supposed to take?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood for Steve's sake. He looked kind of like he wanted to strangle Tony. Thankfully, part of his scowl disappeared when she spoke.

"Stark just tried to make Dr. Banner angry-"

"I poked him with a stick." Ellie looked at Bruce, whose face bore an enervated smile.

"Guys, it's ok. I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle…pointy things." Tony gave Steve a look as if to say, _I told you so._ If they were kindergarteners, Tony would have stuck his tongue out and chanted "na na na na boo boo." She almost laughed out loud at the thought. Brony continued talking about their work with the Tesseract, to which she listened closely. She had never been able to understand science, especially not thermonuclear astrophysics. Not that she'd ever been good at normal physics…she'd made a C+ in that class in high school. (By Dawson family standards, that meant she failed.)

"Ellie, what brings you here?" asked Bruce, switching the conversation.

"I was supposed to check on your progress. Fury wants a report. And Natasha was being mean," she added, forlornly looking at her feet. Steve studied her with a quizzical look upon his brow. She looked like a small child, shuffling her feet with her hands clasped behind her back. He found it almost cute.

"Tell Fury we've calibrated the spectrometers. When we get a hit, it'll appear on the grid," Bruce replied, pointing to the computer screen behind her.

"Sooooo did not understand what you just said, but whatever," she turned on her heel to deliver the news to Fury before Tony addressed her.

"Why don't you and Natasha get along?"

"It's a lot to explain," she answered, looking back at the three of them.

"Sweetheart, we've got plenty of time. Explain away." Ellie growled and turned around, slumping against the wall.

"I didn't really want to talk to Fury anyway…umm…I don't know where to start."

"How about when you first joined S.H.I.E.L.D.? That was in 2007, correct?" he asked, looking down at a black device that much resembled a Kindle. Ellie scowled.

"I don't like it when you hack systems and use stuff against me." Now Steve scowled.

"You hacked S.H.I.E.L.D.'s system?"

"Yeah. Ellie caught me bugging the computer on the main deck," he said, passing the snack bag to her and offering a blueberry, which she gratefully accepted. "JARVIS has been running it since I hit the bridge."

"You still haven't told me why," Ellie said as she folded her arms across her chest defensively. Tony threw his arms in the air in exasperation.

"Don't you wanna know what Fury's up to? Why does he need the Cube? What are they gonna use it for?" Ellie nodded and glanced sideways at Steve in question. He gave her a lingering gaze in return, and shook his head before he left the lab.

"Ellie, what's up with him?"

"How the hell would I know?" Brony raised their eyebrows in question as they worked. "God, y'all. It's not like that. But, he does seem tense lately. I think he's overwhelmed. And restless."

"Aren't we all," Bruce mused as he scanned Loki's scepter with something that looked like a price checker at Walmart. Gods, she was bad at science. A tense silence fell among the three of them, interrupted only by the sounds of random beeping machinery. Everything was changing. She could feel it in every fiber of her being. Her telekinesis skills were improving exponentially, and she was becoming even faster in fighting. But that wasn't exactly what was changing. The very air was thick with foreboding tension. Tony was the only one to break the rigid calmness.

"You still haven't told us why you and Natasha don't get along."

"There's a long list of reasons." Tony gestured for her to proceed. With a heavy, irritated sigh, she lifted herself from the wall and paced back and forth in front of the clean white counter where Brony was working.

"First, I'm the only one who beat her in a fight. Second, I'm friendly. I get along better with people than she does. Thirdly, I accidentally…" she mumbled the last reason. Bruce furrowed his brow and leaned across the counter, while Tony listened with wide eyes, munching on his blueberries.

"Go on," urged the doctor, motioning for her to continue. She bit her lip and rolled her eyes.

"Well…" she gulped, "It's kind of embarrassing."

"Psh. Life full of embarrassing moments," Tony remarked. Ellie swallowed and looked nervously around the room.

"Ok fine, but what's said in the lab stays in the lab. Got it?" She received half hearted promises from the geniuses before spilling the beans. She took a deep breath before blurting, "I got drunk and made out with Barton." They burst out laughing after a couple seconds.

"Wh-How is that an accident?" Tony managed between chortles.

"I was drunk! Clint was drunk! We were both lonely and depressed!" They laughed again and didn't calm down for a while. She rolled her eyes and scoffed multiple times, muttering about men being immature. Finally, they simmered down and Tony worked on his device while Bruce twiddled his thumbs and looked around the room awkwardly. The billionaire's eyebrows raised and he muttered "How 'bout that," as the sliding glass doors opened with a hiss.

"Dawson, you were supposed to bring me a report twenty minutes ago. What have you been doing?" Nick Fury's stern voice sounded behind her. She opened her mouth to protest when Tony cut her off.

"I've been wondering the same about you," he said, swaggering around the counter.

"I didn't address you, Stark. You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract," Fury's voice was calm, even, and deadly.

"Oh we are. We're locked and sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile." He casually popped a blueberry in his mouth, trying not to let a smug smile creep across his face. "You'll get the Cube back." Ellie watched him curiously. The corners of his mouth twitched in mock confusion as he touched various buttons on his handheld device. "Tell me, what exactly is Phase Two?" A thud of metal startled Ellie and she looked behind her. Steve's normally merry blue eyes were blazing with anger as he laid a futuristic looking weapon on the table.

"Phase Two is S.H.I.E.L.D. uses the Cube to make weapons. Sorry," he fired, glaring at Tony, "computer was moving too slow for me." Fury cast a solemn eye over the group of people before him. Agent Dawson looked stunned, Stark; smug, Banner; confused, and Steve livid.

"Captain, it's not what you think. We've gathered-"

"Then what is it?" Steve demanded, shaking his head when the Director gave no answer. "I was wrong. This world hasn't changed one bit." The venom in his voice was slightly disturbing to her. Ellie was still stunned. S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted to use the Tesseract to make weapons of mass destruction? What was the organization coming to? Steve's expression was irate, and his whole demeanor had darkened considerably. It was honestly sort of terrifying. At that moment, Natasha and Thor rushed in, the former looking flustered. Even mild-mannered Thor looked angry.

"Doctor, you wanna think about removing yourself from this environment?" she addressed Bruce. He gave a slight nervous laugh.

"I was pretty well removed in Calcutta."

"Loki is manipulating you." He scoffed.

"And you've been doing what, exactly? I'm not leaving because you get a little twitchy. I wanna know why S.H.I.E.L.D. is making weapons out of the Tesseract's energy source." Natasha glared icily at him as Fury spoke up.

"Because of him," he said, pointing an accusing finger at Thor. The god of thunder looked confused. His blue eyes revealed bewilderment.

"I aided you in your time of need when I was last here. How can you think me the enemy?" Ellie looked back and forth from Fury to Thor as they argued.

"Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet with a grudge match that near leveled a small town in New Mexico. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned."

"And making weapons of mass destruction will help us out?" Ellie countered. Tony's eyes widened.

"They'll use it as a nuclear deterrent," he glared at Fury as he spoke, "because that always calms everything down." The billionaire's voice was lethal, something Ellie had never expected from him. Fury snickered.

"Remind me again how you earned your fortune, Stark." Steve chimed in after Fury.

"I'm sure if Stark still made weapons, he'd be neck deep in-" Tony angrily cut him off.

"Wait, wait, wait, how is this now about me?" Steve's façade changed to one of fake concern.

"Oh, I'm sorry, isn't everything?" At that very point, a burst a pain seared through Ellie's head, and Loki's chilly voice sounded through her head. The pain came in waves, and her vision was blurring. Everyone's voice sounded distant and muffled. _See what I've done, Cerebra? I've broken your barriers. I can enter your mind. I've divided you all. You're well on your way to ruin, and you can't stop it. See? This is only the beginning of the game. _Searing, white hot pain shot through her mind, and she bit her bottom lip to keep from screaming out loud. The sensation was gone as quickly as it had come. Strangely, no one had seemed to notice. They were still in the thick of the argument. Thor's booming voice brought her back to reality.

"I though humans were more evolved than this!"

"Excuse me, do we come to your planet and blow stuff up?" Fury shouted. Ellie shook her head vigorously. Steve and Tony looked ready to go to blows with each other; the latter only mere inches from the former's face. Steve's jaw and fists were clenched. Suddenly, Fury directed the argument to her.

"Dawson, you wanna say anything? Or are you just gonna run away like you did in Milan?" The blood rushed to her face and rage boiled within her. Her eyes narrowed to slits.

"I ran for good reason! I left the poor child without her parents to raise her or love her!" she shouted, tears welling in her eyes. Steve and Tony turned their attention to them at her last statement.

"Oh, so, running away from S.H.I.E.L.D. for three years was the way to deal with the problem?" Natasha snapped.

"I was DONE with S.H.I.E.L.D.! There weren't any other options! I was going to make a good, steady living in Paris when YOU dragged me back to this hellhole!" Ellie practically spit her words at the two of them. A perplexed look crossed Steve's face as he spoke to Ellie.

"What do you mean, they dragged you back?" Ellie ran a hand through her ruffled hair and rolled her eyes before retorting,

"Three years ago, I was sent to take out a National Force leader. The assignment went wrong, and I ended up killing his wife as well, and their child was present. I left the child alive, but…" her voice cracked as she continued, "it brought back memories of my father's death. I didn't want to relive that anymore, so I ran away. They chased me through Paris, drugged me, and forced me to come back here." Steve's blue eyes betrayed sympathy and understanding as she met his gaze. He fought the strong urge to wrap her in an embrace and tell her it was alright. He understood her pain. The room was eerily silent after Ellie's spiel. The uncomfortable silence was broken by Bruce's quiet cursing. The computer monitor beeped, indicating the location of the Tesseract.

"Doctor?" questioned Fury as Bruce looked up at the monitor in dismay.

"My God…the Tesseract….it's..." he was cut off when a massive explosion rattled the laboratory and sent them all sprawling in different directions. Ellie was thrown against the wall, her limbs sprawled out awkwardly. She shook her head as if to shake away the pain, and it was only then that she realized she was on top of Steve. He groaned, trying to gain his bearings. Even in a serious situation like this, Ellie still blushed. She rolled over, careful not to roll into the sharp glass shards. Smoke clouded the air, causing everything to look hazy. She coughed heavily and struggled to stand, but her knees were too weak. A strong hand grasped her arm and pulled her to her feet, and she found herself looking into the light blue eyes of Steve Rogers. He held her gaze as if he would say something, but nothing came. He and Tony ran to the third engine on the North end of the helicarrier. Fury's voice shouted orders.

"Dawson!" he shouted, coughing.

"Yeah, Fury," she replied, trying to keep the edge of hysteria from creeping into her voice. Loki had planned this all along. She'd been stupid not to realize it earlier.

"Get to Loki's holding cell! You and Thor make sure that Psycho doesn't escape!" She nodded, even though he couldn't see her through the smoke, and sped off to the basement where Loki was being held. His warning resounded through her head as she sped through the twisting and turning corridors. _This is only the beginning of the game. This is only the beginning of the game._ Well, if this was only the beginning, Ellie couldn't imagine how terrible the rest of it would be.

~*000*~

**Whoa emotions. Lots of emotions in this chapter. Next chapter gets really interesting. I've already started it and I can't wait for you all to read it. Remember to check out the poll on my profile! Which new Avenger do you want to see in a sequel? Vote because I'm closing it soon! **


	13. Compromised

**Chapter Thirteen-Compromised**

Ellie had to run faster than normal to match Thor's pace. For a big guy, he was pretty quick. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents with grim faces scurried about the helicarrier, trying to keep their cool. She no longer felt afraid. There was too much adrenaline flowing through her veins for her to be scared. Instead, she was angry. This must be how Bruce felt all the time; only he had to contain it. It was at that moment that a terrifying, animalistic roar sounded throughout the basement of the helicarrier. The sound sent shivers scurrying down her spine. The Hulk had been unleashed. Alarm sirens blared, and effects of the prior explosion still lingered. She coughed frequently, and had to blink often to keep dust and other debris from entering her eyes and obscuring her vision. Their pace was slowing as they approached the room with Loki's holding cell. Ellie prepared to swipe her clearance card, but the door opened before she had time to retrieve it. She tried to analyze the situation in a split second. _Door will open. Thor will charge in brandishing the hammer. He and Loki will duke it out. We'll try to draw him back into the cell. Release holding tank. Tank will plummet to earth. Process should take eight minutes. Problem solved. _The door opened, but immediately Ellie saw her analysis was flawed. Loki was still in the holding cell, smiling at them, his arms hanging by his sides. He had something planned that Ellie could not foresee, no matter how much she wracked her brain. The door of the cell slid open. Thor gritted his teeth and charged at Loki, who braced himself for the assault. Suddenly, the god of mischief disappeared, and reappeared out of the cell in front of Ellie. Thor was trapped inside the tank. This, she had not counted on. Without thinking, (something a child of Athena **never** did), Ellie attacked Loki with all she had. She tried to analyze and predict the next move, but he always seemed one step ahead of her. He grabbed her wrist, smirking, and wrenched her arm behind her back in an unnatural way. Crying out in pain, she lashed out with her other elbow. It found its proper mark in the solar plexus, pushing Loki against the control panel. A sudden whoosh of air greeted her ears when she realized that it would only take the touch of a button to send Thor plunging to Earth in that great glass chamber. Loki let out a deranged laugh.

"Look what you've done, Cerebra. You'll send Thor to his death if you dare resist me anymore."

"Lady Ellie, do not heed his words! He tries to trick you!" Ellie appreciated Thor's concern, but she wasn't planning on listening to Loki in the first place. She launched at him with newfound ferocity, fighting faster than before. She managed a blow to his cheek, and was ready for a return when the unexpected happened. Loki blocked her advances quickly, backing her against the wall. His hand closed around her throat, heavy as an anvil. Black dots danced across her vision as she felt herself being lifted to eye level with him. In her peripheral vision, she could see Thor looking on in horror, unable to do anything. That chilly, deranged laugh came again.

"You make this too easy. Are you even trying?" Ellie tried to smirk as best she could, seeing as Loki had a vice grip on her throat.

"Maybe this is my strategy. Bet you didn't think of that," she sneered. It was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe, and she struggled to keep her eyes open. He smiled patronizingly at her, tutting and shaking his head.

"So stubborn. When will you learn? I always get what I want," he whispered huskily in her ear, loosening his grip on her neck. It was at that moment that Ellie realized he had his glowing Tesseract staff, and aimed it threateningly at the center of her chest. A gleam of mischief flashed in his emerald orbs, and she gulped in fear. Thor looked considerably angry, or panicked. Ellie wasn't quite sure which it was.

"Brother, do not harm her any further! She has done nothing to deserve this!" Anger it was. She herself was frozen. Her brain just…wouldn't work. She'd tried to analyze her situation, but there were too many unforeseen obstacles before. The next circumstance she certainly did not expect.

"Stand down, please. Step away from the woman," a calm, even voice commanded. _Coulson. _When Loki turned to face the agent, Ellie gave him a desperate look as if to say _what the hell do you think you're doing. Get out now. _Phil's expression was as grim as ever, only this time his eyes exhibited a hint of rage. They flickered from Loki to Thor to Ellie. He gestured at the gigantic, futuristic gun in his arms. "New from Phase Two. Even I don't know what it does. You want to find out?" Ellie's senses were on heightened alert as she crept towards the control panel. Her eyes never left Phil's. Loki slowly straightened up, and it looked for a moment as if he would drop the staff. Oh, but she knew better than that. He would attack. Most definitely. She steeled herself for another fight, but what followed left her feeling hollow and empty. All bravery, all heroism; all strength was sapped from her body as Loki suddenly appeared behind Phil and stabbed him in the back with his staff. The blood pooled quickly and spread across the agent's pristine white oxford. His eyes began to glass over, and the subtle rage within them was replaced with almost a sadness. All coherent words left her. A spine chilling, gut wrenching, inhuman cry rose within her. Its frightening sound filled the basement and reverberated off the walls. Warm, wet, salty tears began to trickle down her cheeks. Phil stumbled and slumped to the floor, the weapon still lying across his lap. A maniacal grin crept over Loki's face as he brandished his bloodstained weapon. Her hatred for him magnified a thousand times at that point.

"YOU EVIL BASTARD!" she screamed, telekinetically shaking the grated walkway underneath them. Anger boiled inside of her, and it magnified her powers. Ellie charged at Loki full force, trying anything she could to murder him. Alas, her fury clouded her judgment. When she misstepped, Loki gained the advantage, grabbing her arm roughly and throwing her against the wall. The walkway stilled as Ellie crumpled the floor, her blonde waves fanned out in all directions. Blood tricked down her face from a fresh cut on her cheek. Her eyelids fluttered feebly. The god of mischief shook his head in mockery as he stepped gingerly over the one called Coulson.

"So weak," he whispered. Thor regarded his younger brother in disbelief as he watched Lady Ellie and Son of Coul crumple like withered leaves. This behavior was most unlike the brother he'd known on Asgard. Loki gestured to his crimson stained weapon. "The humans think us immortal…" Ellie heard him begin a speech directed at Thor. She groaned quietly and lifted her head off the floor. Her vision was blurred with tears as she saw Phil slumped against the wall. Loki was occupied with Thor at the moment, so she mustered every last ounce of strength she had to crawl to Phil. The glassy look in his eyes made her tears fall profusely. His limp hand reached out to hers and he gave it a reassuring squeeze. It was cold and clammy to the touch, but she held on as if her life depended on it.

"Whatever happens, know that I'm proud of you," he whispered breathlessly.

"Phil, don't talk like that. You're gonna be ok. You're gonna pull through this!" she tenderly cupped his cheek as she spoke. He gave a weak laugh.

"It's not looking too good for me." Every word he uttered sounded as if it were a painful and laborious task.

"You're all I have left. I'm not lettin' you leave me!" Even before the words left her mouth, she knew there wasn't much hope.

"Ellie, you don't understand. It would never have worked if you didn't have s-something to-" his voice trailed off. He drew his last shuddering breath and his eyes glazed over. Ellie's hands fell to her sides and she sat back on her knees in disbelief. A heavy blanket of grief swept over her heart. She felt empty, hollow, and dull. Her father had been murdered a second time. Fresh hot tears flowed down her cheeks. She wanted to scream and throw up and kill Loki all at the same time, but all she could do was cry. _You're such a wimp, Dawson. Buck up and kick Psycho's ass in revenge._ It was at that moment that she noticed something was off. Her eyes widened involuntarily as she realized that Loki must have released the tank during the Phil incident. Instantly, she shot him the nastiest glare she could muster. She wasn't scared of him anymore. She was too grief stricken and furious to be afraid. She tried to think of something clever to say as she stood up slowly, but all that came out was a lethal,

"I hate you." It was said quietly, through gritted teeth. She meant it with every fiber of her being. Loki didn't smile or shake his head at her remark. He cautiously approached her, staff still in hand. She flinched as he moved closer.

"But you won't. I can assure you of that. You have heart," he said evenly. On the last word, he pressed the tip of his staff to her chest. The blue light on the end glowed brighter, and a new wave of energy coursed through Ellie's body. It was a dark and sinister energy, and a black cloud consumed her mind. Her thoughts were no longer hers. The screams of her consciousness were delicious to him as they were overtaken by his power. She fought against him, trying to build a wall around her mind, but the power could not be stopped. When at last her mind was fully his to control, she heaved a deep sigh. A stony, calm expression appeared on her face in place of the earlier livid one. Loki smiled in satisfaction. "Come, Cerebra. We must leave this place. My army is ready and I shall not keep them waiting." Her dull, sickly blue eyes did not change expression.

"Yes, my Lord," she replied, her voice hollow. They left the basement where the holding cell had been, and headed in the direction of the jet that awaited them. It was all going according to plan in Loki's mind.

~*000*~

Maria Hill noticed Ellie first. They were in the South corridor leading to the launch area.

"Agent Dawson, thank God you're here. We need your help-" she stopped as Ellie continued walking briskly and drew out her Smith and Wesson M&P, aiming it straight at her. "Dawson, what are you doing?" she asked, flabbergasted and drawing her own weapon. The reply that came shocked her.

"Following orders," she replied simply. The blonde's face bore a fierce frown. Even in these circumstances, the grimness was uncharacteristic of her. Maria's pupils dilated when she saw the sickly color of Ellie's eyes. She'd been compromised by Loki. Ellie fired her weapon at Maria, who dodged the shot and fired back quickly. She hid behind the corner, taking shots when Ellie wasn't completely unloading on her. Suddenly, the firing ceased. Maria peeked around the corner. The blonde had holstered her weapon and continued briskly down another corridor. Loki was calling her toward the flight deck. She breathed heavily, too stunned to move. What the hell was going on? She put a finger to her ear to contact Fury.

"Director? Agent Dawson's been compromised."

~*000*~

Steve had just finished fixing engine three with Stark when Fury's voice sounded in his earpiece. The news almost stopped him in his tracks.

"Agent Coulson is down. Agent Dawson has been compromised. Any Avengers onboard; assemble in the bridge in ten." Steve and Tony exchanged stunned expressions before heading back to the bridge. The walk to their destination was silent, save for the pounding of Steve's heart. Ellie? Compromised? What did that mean? Fury had sounded weary when he last spoke. It couldn't be good news. What if she was hurt? Would she be alright? Questions like these whirled in his head. He tried to keep his cool. Ellie was probably alright. She could handle herself. She was a fighter. But, he still felt the need to protect her.

~*000*~

Fury threw a deck of cards on the table. The blood smeared across the glass. Steve recognized them as Coulson's vintage Captain America trading cards, and sighed in dismay as he picked them up. Tony buried his head in his hands at the sight of them. As much as he didn't like Coulson, he never wanted him to die.

"I guess he never did get you to sign them," Fury said to Rogers. Steve nodded solemnly. The silence was almost unbearable in the few moments that followed.

"What happened to Ellie?" he asked quietly, not looking up from the trading cards. Fury took a deep breath before responding. He kept his steady gaze out at the horizon.

"I sent her and Thor to make sure Loki didn't escape. It didn't work out so well. Loki overtook her mind with that staff just as he did Barton's. Her mind is now under his control. They both escaped to God knows where." Steve's jaw clenched at the information. He pounded his fist on the table in ire. The thought of Ellie being overtaken by Loki made him angrier than words could ever express. He cursed mentally for not being there to protect her. Tony let out a frustrated growl and stormed out of the room. Steve felt numb as he looked at the bloodied Captain America cards. It was time to avenge.

~*000*~

**Sorry if this felt a little rushed and awkward and cheesy. I deleted and rewrote this a couple times, and this was the best of all. I literally cried while writing Phil's death. I had the whole thing pictured in my mind from chapter one, and thought it would be more emotional if Ellie watched him die instead of Nick Fury. Yeah…lots of emotions. **


	14. It's Good To Be Back

**Sorry it's been so long, guys. School has been really demanding, but I'm trying to submit all my college applications by October 15****th**** :P better to be early! I may not update for a while after this, but I will try when I have free time. **

**~*000*~**

**Chapter Fourteen**

Deep in the recesses of her mind, a voice screamed at her that this wasn't right, but Ellie felt too calm for this to be wrong. She thought she heard Loki chuckle just then, but she convinced herself she'd heard nothing. Still…something didn't feel right, and she involuntarily clenched her jaw. She stared absentmindedly out the front of the quinjet window, watching them speed over the water to a destination she knew not where. Loki's gaze was intimidating, and Ellie didn't want to look directly at him. Although she served him, she could not help but feel uneasy around him. She could feel his emerald orbs drill into the back of her head. He studied her now. Her eyes, he remembered, had once been an exotic lavender color, but since the spell, they'd turned a sickly blue. She was very pretty, even by Asgardian standards. Her hair was very fair, long, and curled marvelously. Her figure was pleasing as well; slender and curvy, and his eyes lingered a little longer on her chest. Loki was not a carnal creature by nature, but this woman was changing his mind. Intensely aware of his scrutiny, a slight blush rose to her cheeks, but she continued to stare out the window. He chuckled and rose, standing next to her.

"You seem tense, Love." Ellie turned around and looked him directly in the eye.

"It's just…something doesn't feel right." A small smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Do not worry. You have nothing to fear. I have everything under control." He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, just briefly. She shivered under his touch, and turned back to the window.

**~*000*~**

Steve found Tony in the basement level of the helicarrier where Loki's holding tank had been. Tony had stormed out of the bridge, obviously in distress after Coulson's death. Sure, Steve was rattled as well, but he'd grown used to losing his friends in the war. At the moment, he was more concerned for Ellie's safety. The fact that Loki had taken her to God knows where and was doing God knows what with her…he shook his head as he leaned against the doorway, addressing Stark to get his mind off the situation.

"Was he married?" The genius billionaire playboy philanthropist shook his head and stared blankly ahead.

"I believe there was a…cellist." Steve nodded in acknowledgement.

"He was a brave man." This elicited a snort of derision from Tony. He made direct eye contact with the captain.

"He was an idiot." Steve was genuinely taken aback.

"For standing up to Loki and trying to save Ellie?"

"No, for trying to take him on alone."

"Is this the first time you've lost a soldier?" he asked, curious to hear Stark's response. Tony whirled around, dark eyes ablaze.

"We are **not** soldiers!" Steve couldn't think of a reply; Stark's answer had been so vehement. "I wonder what Loki was thinking…he took Ellie and killed Coulson. He made it personal."

"I don't think that's his point."

"No-that is the point. Like Ellie said, he wanted to divide and conquer us. Great. But what's next? Loki's a full tilt diva. He wants to beat us, and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience."

"I caught his act in Stuttgart," agreed Steve, hands clasped behind his back.

"Yes, and that was just a preview. This is opening night. He wants a parade, he wants flowers, he wants a monument to the sky with his name plastered on it…" his voice trailed off as he realized where Loki was headed. "That son of a bitch… that's where he's taking Ellie!" Steve raised his eyebrows and his heart beat rapidly at the thought of rescuing Ellie.

**~*000*~**

Ellie was surprised to find that Loki had taken her to Stark Tower. It wasn't exactly a hideout…but when she noticed Dr. Selvig with the machine on the deck, she realized why they were here. It provided the perfect location to open a wormhole for Loki's army. The doctor smiled and waved warmly at her, calling her name, but Ellie only gave him a curt nod, following Loki into the tower. A small part of her screamed that this wasn't right, but she followed him anyway. The palm of his hand pressed against the small of her back, and she shivered again, involuntarily. It wasn't a warm, friendly gesture like Steve's had been-this was a stern, sinister touch.

"After you, my love," he whispered in her ear, his breath tickling her ear and sending chills down her spine. His arm snaked around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She was uncomfortable with the proximity, but she wasn't going to let his Lordship see that. A voice interrupted her flow of thought, but it wasn't Loki's. It was distinctly feminine. _You're playing his game, little owl. This is exactly what he wants. Return to your right mind. Fight it. Fight his power. _It wasn't until the voice faded away that she realized it was her mother warning her. But why was she urging her to fight? Though being with Loki didn't feel exactly right, Ellie didn't sense any immediate danger. She stuffed her mother's warning in the back of her mind and continued into Stark Tower with Loki. He must have sensed the mental presence of Athena, because he looked straight at Ellie with a glint in her eye.

"You look unwell, darling. Is something the matter?" Ellie looked up at him, putting on her most calm façade.

"Of course not, my Lord. But may I inquire as to why we're here? Stark Tower is hardly a place to hide. The Avengers will surely come here first."

"That's the plan, Love. We want them to come here. But in the meantime…" he stooped a slight bit lower, and his lips barely grazed the corner of her mouth. "We can pass the time together." And with those words, he tilted her chin up with long slender fingers and kissed her full on the mouth. At first Ellie didn't know what he was doing, or what she herself was doing. She was stunned, but not disgusted. A moment later, she was kissing him back with just as much passion, if not more. Her hands wound themselves in Loki's inky black locks and his grip around her waist tightened, deepening the kiss. When they broke apart for air, Loki chuckled. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" She shook her head, and he leaned in for another kiss. As it progressed, he grew rougher, and the kiss became hungry, almost if her were devouring her. It wasn't until that moment that she'd realized Loki had her backed against the wall, and it wasn't until that moment that she realized that this was wrong. Very wrong indeed. Her eyes shot open and she broke away, turning her head to the side. Loki's hands rested on her hips, and his emerald eyes drilled into hers. He said nothing, but waited for an excuse from Ellie.

"This isn't right. I can't do this," she said in a rush, her mother's warning coming back to her. Loki frowned when he saw the sickly blue color in her eyes fading back to periwinkle.

"Nonsense. Of course you can-"

"No, I can't!" The god's eyes narrowed

"And why not? Do you feel that you are betraying the soldier?" he whispered close to her ear, his breathing tickling her neck. She faltered, not knowing what to say. Her mind was a whirlwind; her own thoughts fighting against each other and against her. _You're not betraying anyone…Don't worry, you like this. You like how this feels…What are you doing? You have feelings for Steve!...Aah, but does he have feelings for you?...Of course he does. Oh, but you don't know that for sure…Why take this chance?...Why not? _A menacing laugh from Loki filled the room. "Why, my dear, your own thoughts betray you. You can't make up your mind! Allow me to help you…" With those words, he kissed her again, roughly. Ellie wriggled under his grasp, not sure what to do. "You like this. You want this." She turned her head away, but that didn't deter the Asgardian. His lips roamed her neck until they found her weak spot, indicated by a breathless moan on her part. Loki smirked against her skin. "Told you…" he muttered huskily. Ellie's thoughts stopped battling each other, and one clear, coherent thought rang out in her mind: _STOP._

"No-no, I really don't!" she snarled, kneeing him in a sensitive area and leaving him stunned momentarily. He groaned and stumbled backward, while Ellie made a run for the exit. She was almost there, when she felt a strong force pull her back and slam her down onto the floor. Pain erupted in her lower back and throbbed in her skull. She lay there silently, unable to move due to the white hot pain that crashed in searing waves over her body. Her vision blurred in and out of focus. She could barely make out Loki's face hovering above hers. Suddenly the pain was gone, and she could see clearly. Loki grinned above her.

"I could have killed you with magic like that, my love. But I am a merciful king, and decided to let you live." She only glared at him. He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "I could not destroy such beauty…or intelligence." He stood up and summoned his staff. She scrambled up and faced him, a nasty scowl plastered on her face. "But, your disobedience will cost you…" he raised his staff threateningly, and lunged toward her. This time, she was ready. This time, she would not stand idle and let him take over her mind again. She knocked the staff out of his hand, telekinetically sending it clattering across the polished floors of Stark Tower and out of his reach. This time, Ellie could think clearly. She could focus. She could predict his movements perfectly, and was able to block his blows and deliver some effective ones of her own. She blocked him from reading her mind, and a new sort of unexplainable energy flowed through her veins. Loki drew a small silver knife and lunged at her side, but Ellie swiped it away with a quick flick of the wrist, delivering a knee kick to his solar plexus. _Turn. Elbow to nose. Grasp his arm, flip him over shoulder. Attempt wild haymaker to jaw while he is down. _Those were her next steps, and she was set on finishing them. Her body, however, had different ideas. It was ahead of her mind, and she executed her moves too quickly. As soon as she grasped his arm, he grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her head backwards. She let out a cry of pain and protest.

"Did you honestly think you could win? You may have gained control of your mind again, but you won't have it for long. Soon, you will be mine again." Ellie grunted through clenched teeth. Loki had her in a hold that was almost impossible to get out of. _Unless…_ Ellie lunged forward and sunk her teeth into his arm. The god of mischief hissed and backhanded her, which sent her stumbling back. "Not a wise choice, Cerebra. You do seem to have a problem with authority. We'll have to fix that, won't we?" He grabbed her upper arm and jerked her closer to him. "You should respect your king…" he murmured, tilting her chin up and forcing her to look straight into his eyes. The emerald orbs revealed a mixture of emotions: pride, anger, sorrow, jealousy…love? Pity? Sympathy? There was one emotion that she could not detect…one that did not belong with his 'conquer the pathetic mortals' attitude. For a moment, she felt sorry for him, but she didn't know why. Ellie's pity dissipated when he gripped her chin and forced her into a rough kiss. She squirmed and twisted and managed to push him off of her.

"You're not a king, and you're definitely not my king," she snarled, raising her hand to hit him. Unfortunately, she wasn't quick enough, and he caught her wrist, tutting.

"Oh, but I will be, Love. My army is coming, and they will defeat you and the rest of the ragtag heroes." He kissed her again, hungrily. For a few moments, she gave in. _Ellie, stop it. Stop it right now. Fight him back!_ She couldn't. She closed her eyes and leaned closer, intensifying the kiss. By now her brain was screaming at her. _STOP IT. THIS IS WRONG ON SO MANY LEVELS. ELLIE WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING! _ It wasn't until that moment that she recognized the cool leather of the sleek couch against her back, and Loki above her. His hands roved all over her body, exploring every bit of her. His mouth attacked her neck, biting down on her weak spot. She cried out, half in pleasure, half in fear.

"God, now that's just wrong." Tony Stark's voice interrupted the pair of them. "Using my tower to open a wormhole and usher an alien army into New York City is one thing. But using it to pick up girls?" He shook his head as he walked down the steps, slowly and deliberately. "I'm surprised at you, Loki. I really expected better from you." Loki rolled his eyes and rose from his place on the couch. For a moment, Tony's eyes drifted to Ellie. There was a small cut on her forehead, and bruises on her wrist and neck. Other than that, she looked fine. In fact, she looked ready to murder Loki. The god of mischief summoned his staff with what Ellie could only describe as magic. His smooth voice sounded calmly, and he walked slowly toward Tony, like a beast stalking its prey.

"I expected better from you, as well. How long did it take you to realize I had taken your beloved tower? An hour? Perhaps two?" He shook his head in a patronizing way, sneering. "Aren't you supposed to be the brilliant one?" Stark chuckled.

"Actually, there's three brilliant ones. Me, Bruce, and Ellie are the smarties in the group." He skipped down to the bar and began to pour himself a Scotch.

"The Avengers will be here soon. And when they come, they'll come straight for you. You wanna drink?" Loki cocked his head. Ellie watched the two of them closely. Occasionally, Stark's eyes would flicker over to her, but she kept her gaze trained on Loki, as if she were afraid he would sprout fangs and spit venom.

"Stalling me is not going to help you," came the god's smooth reply.

"No, I'm not stalling. Threatening. Let's do a head count here- your brother, the god of thunder-" Loki cringed at the mention of Thor's name-"a couple master assassins, a supersolider; living legend who kind of lives up to the legend, a super-intelligent telekinetic demiod, a man with breathtaking anger management issues, and **you,** big fella, you've managed to piss of every one of them."

"That was the plan." Tony took a sip of his drink before shaking his head.

"Not a great plan. You don't understand-there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. If we can't protect the earth, you can be damn well sure that we'll avenge it." Tony's voice was steely, and he glared at Loki with everything he had.

"I have an army."

"We have a Hulk," he countered. Ellie snickered. Loki was growing impatient with this pompous fool of a man, and advanced on him with his staff. Tony stood still and made no move to fight back.

"Tony, what are you doing?" she shouted as Loki raised his staff and touched the glowing end to the billionaire's chest. Ellie waited in horror for the sickly blue color to overtake his eyes, but nothing happened. A small smirk twisted at his mouth as Loki looked flustered.

"This usually works…"

"Yeah, well…performance issues…you know, they affect one out of five-" Ellie sniggered, but her laughter was cut short as the god grabbed Tony's neck and threw him out the window. Her eyes widened, and she almost screamed. Her mouth went dry, and she stared at Loki in disbelief. Suddenly, a red box burst seemingly out of nowhere and out the window that Tony had been thrown out of. Loki turned to her.

"Now, where were we?" he asked, slowly advancing on her. His eyes almost burned holes in her.

"Ok, this needs to stop, right now. You've done enough." She mustered all the energy she had left, and directed it at Loki, who flew back into the wall. His staff went clattering across the floor as it fell from his hand. He groaned and scrambled up quickly, ready to face Ellie head-on. Ellie steeled herself for a mental battle, but the sound of Stark's metal suit indicated she was not alone.

"There's one more person you pissed off. His name was Phil," Tony declared, his tone venomous. He raised a red-gloved hand and a beam of blue light hit Loki in the chest, sending him sprawling backwards. "Ellie, c'mon. Let's get outta here." The urgency in his tone was almost frightening, and she did as she was told. Stark wrapped a metal clad arm around her waist and she held onto his neck, and the both of them shot off into the sky.

**~*000*~**

They landed on a quiet rooftop. Ellie was disappointed to see that the battle had already begun. Strange, Star Wars like creatures flew around on ugly ships, shooting lethal purple energy blasts at innocent civilians.

"You alright, sweetheart?" Tony asked, flipping his helmet open so she could see his face. His eyes were sincere, and she detected a bit of worry in his tone.

"Yeah, I'm good. It's good to be back in my right mind." Tony nodded.

"Steve's been worried about you. I mean, he hasn't said it, but you can tell. The rest of us wondered if you were still alive." At the mention of Steve, Ellie's heart fluttered. Stark handed her an earpiece. "Put this in. Steve's giving orders, and I'm sure the rest of the team would like to know you're alive." As soon as she put the device in her ear, the captain's voice came through the static.

"Thor's taking down a group on 6th and needs help. Can anybody copy?" A knowing smile flickered across Tony's face. Normally, Ellie would have glared at him, but this time, she grinned as well.

"This is Agent Dawson. I copy," she spoke authoritatively. A flood of whoops and cheers bombarded her ear, making her cringe. "Geez, y'all. Not all at once. You're blowin' out my eardrums."

"It's good to have you back, Ellie," Steve's voice rang clear in her device. A slight blush crept up her cheeks. Yes, it was good to be back.

**~*000*~**

**Ta-da! It's been almost a month since I've updated but now I'm back! This took a while to write, and I did rewrite it a couple times. Reviews are especially appreciated. Oh, and also, about that last poll I posted about which Avenger would be in the sequel? Spiderman won, so he'll show up next story. Also, check out my profile. I have a new story in progress. It's happy fluffy oneshots with all the Avengers. If you need a laugh, just read it. Thanks! xoxo**


	15. Only The War

**I'm so sorry for my horrid absence. Believe me, I wanted to start this earlier, but circumstances and school hindered my efforts. Here we go! Also, check out my newest story, "Blood, Sweat, and Tears." Written in Ellie's POV, it details her first years in S.H.I.E.L.D. before she ran away. Also, I made a Twitter for Ellie, so you can follow her at SouthernCerebra. I'm sure she would appreciate it!**

**~*000*~**

**Chapter Fifteen-Only The War**

Steve had never, ever felt more relieved. As soon as he caught sight of Stark carrying Ellie to the site of the battle, he physically felt the weight leave his heart. Her countenance was a mixture of livid anger and exhaustion, but her determination was what he detected most. In that moment, the true soldier was revealed in her periwinkle eyes, and his admiration for her deepened. Agent Barton let out a long whistle.

"It's about time you showed up, Blondie," he said with faux amusement in his voice. The crooked half smile that Steve had grown to love stretched across Ellie's face.

"I was a little busy."

"It pleases me to see you alive and well, Lady Ellie. We could certainly use your skills in this battle," Thor's deep voice chimed in. Even Natasha nodded in agreement, and a satisfied growl came from Bruce Banner/the Hulk.

"Glad to be back in my right mind. Captain, what are your orders?" Steve blushed only slightly when Ellie referred to him as 'Captain,' but it was noticeable enough for Tony to snicker. He quickly shook it off and replaced his schoolboy attitude with the authoritative soldier attitude.

"Alright. Until we can close that portal up there, we're gonna use containment. Barton, I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash." Clint shrugged and looked indifferently at Tony.

"You wanna give me a lift?"

"Better clench up, Legolas," Stark answered before the two of them shot into the sky. Steve watched them for a second, then continued giving his orders.

"Thor, you've gotta try and bottleneck that portal. You've got the lightning; light the bastards up. Ellie, you, Natasha, and I will stay on the ground; keep the fighting here." Ellie nodded and scanned the sky, bracing herself for the attack. " And Hulk: smash!" The less-than-jolly green giant smiled and gave an amused growl before leaping into the sky.

**~*000*~**

Natasha wasn't much of a people person. Most were either untrustworthy or idiots, or even both, so she quickly decided she didn't like them. When Elinor Dawson first joined S.H.I.E.L.D., Nat decided she didn't like her, either. She was intelligent, strong, beautiful, and above all, competition. It wasn't just a dislike-it was a hatred, fueled by the incident at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Christmas party in 2007. But that was another story. Currently, Natasha's heart of stone was beginning to soften. As she watched her fellow agent slaughter the hideous Chitauri creatures, her respect for the blonde grew exponentially. Ellie fought smartly and smoothly. She executed her moves with deadly precision, and never seemed to tire. It probably helped that she was a demigod. The fierceness in her eyes was something Natasha had never seen before. The amusement and merriment were gone; replaced by the fire of hatred, the intense focus of battle, and…blood thirst? That didn't seem at all like her. Then again, this was Natasha's first time seeing Ellie in action. The blonde's cry jerked her out of a lull. The redhead elbowed a creature in the face before spinning around and delivering a roundhouse kick to the neck, snapping it and killing the hideous beast.

"Natasha!" Ellie screamed. It sounded desperate, and she was surprised to see the blonde taking on five creatures hand to hand: and losing. "My guns are out! You think you can spare one?" Her voice sounded as if it were on the edge of hysteria, and it almost broke Natasha's heart of stone.

"I'm out, too! Grab one of their staffs! They're more effective!"

"I can't get to one! Help me out here?!"

"Hold on!" Natasha fought her way through a few more creatures trying to get to Ellie, but a red, white, and blue shield came flying in that direction, taking out two of the beasts that surrounded her fellow agent. Natasha let slip a grin before turning her attention elsewhere. As long as Steve was around, Ellie would be completely fine.

**~*000*~**

Blood trickled from the wound in her thigh. It was nasty cut that probably needed stitches once this ordeal was done. Supposing it ended successfully…Ellie shuddered and focused on the task at hand. It was her against three Chitauri, and she wasn't doing as well as she wanted. There had been five just seconds ago, but they were dead…maybe her telekinesis was working without her knowledge. At that moment, she faltered and fell to her knees. What was going on? This wasn't like her! She raised a piece of shrapnel to defend herself, but the monster knocked it aside with a swipe of its disgusting arm. Ellie stumbled backwards and fell with her back against a destroyed car. The creature jabbed its spear at her neck, drawing blood. She gasped and drew in a sharp breath at the pain, letting out a hiss as fierce as the monster's. She didn't want to die this way; certainly not in this weak state. Ellie desperately hoped for a miracle, but she knew that was a little far-fetched. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, ready to accept whatever was going to happen. She waited to feel the spear in her neck, but it never came. Instead, the agonizing screams and hisses of the beasts met her ears. Scuffling and the sound of metal clashing against metal were among some of the noises she heard, and then it was still. The fighting sounded distant, and the metallic scent of blood filled her nostrils. She felt clammy and short of breath. The battle hadn't been raging that long…had it? Suddenly, she felt a soft touch on her neck, and a gentle male voiced called to her.

"Ellie. Ellie. ELLIE! Look at me. You're gonna be ok, you hear?" Her eyes snapped open, and Steve's worried expression was the first thing she saw. His usually twinkling blue eyes overflowed with concern, anger, and heartbreak. Was that right? Ellie couldn't tell and blamed it on blood loss. She let out a dry laugh.

"Did you really think I'd leave all of you right now?" The laugh that Steve gave wasn't genuine, but Ellie understood. He was too worried to be fully relieved. "Where's Natasha?"

"She had an opportunity to see if she could close the portal. It's just us here now." Ellie tried to stand to her feet but staggered like a drunk instead. "Ellie, you're in no condition to fight. I'll call Stark and tell him to take you back to the tower."

"No! I can do this!" He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. In that moment, Ellie thought it ironic that this tough, battle-weary soldier could have hands so gentle.

"You can barely stand. Ellie, if you get hurt again, we may not…I mean…you would…" her stubbornness gradually melted. No one had shown concern for her in three years, and it almost broke her. She reached out and cupped Steve's cheek in her hand.

"Steve, I'll be ok. I promise. You don't have to worry about me. In fact, I-" Ellie was cut off by the sound of Tony in her earpiece.

"Uh, guys? I know it's hard for you to control your urges, but can we not be lovey-dovey right now? It's kind of distracting."

"Stark, you're rude," came Ellie's tart reply. She highly aware of their lovey-doveyness, but at that point, she didn't care. Steve's muscled arm was wrapped around her waist, holding her very close and helping her to stand. She could feel the heat radiating from his body.

"Ellie's hurt and unable to fight," Steve informed the billionaire, "and she won't listen to me." Ellie heard Tony chuckle, and she could imagine the grin spreading across his face.

"Steve, a bit of advice from the more experienced man: the woman is always right, no matter what." Ellie smiled and looked smugly up at Steve, who frowned in disgust, seeing as he'd lost the argument. "Besides, Cap, you're going to need all the help you can get. There's a group of about twelve headed your way."

"How long do we have?"

"I'd say about two minutes at best." Steve nodded, his jaw clenched as he scanned the sky. Ellie pushed away from him, testing the strength in her leg. The cut was particularly nasty. In fact, it couldn't even be called a cut anymore. It was a gaping wound, and flesh looked red, raw, and irritated. The skin around the wound was charred and turning gray. It oozed a mysterious clear substance. At least that was good-it meant her body was fighting the infection. This was going to require more than stitches. She felt bile rise in her throat and looked away before her breakfast could come back up. She tried running a short distance. It burned like fire, and she quickly decided this wasn't going to work. She needed to bind the wound with something…keep it contained…perhaps there was something in a nearby car. Ellie hobbled over to an overturned vehicle and ruffled around inside it. Her leg was aching horribly, and she prayed fervently she could find something. The sounds of battle were distant and echoing as she dug around the car. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a pillow. Perfect. She tore the pillowcase off and leaned against the car.

"Success," she breathed as she drew her knife and cut the pillowcase into strips. She felt bad about cutting up some child's Cinderella pillowcase, but it was for a good cause. Steve smiled weakly at her pathetic efforts.

"Ellie, if you can't fight-" she cut him off with a huff and shot him a 'I know what I am doing so go away' look.

"Steve, I'll be fine. Once I tie this up-" her jaw clenched involuntarily as she wrapped and tightened the knot around her leg, "I should be good to go." He reached out and placed both his hands on her arms. The look in his sky blue eyes was sincere, and made her stop what she was doing for a second.

"I don't want to lose you." She gulped and looked at the ground, completely at a loss for words. Finally she shook her head and sighed.

"You're not going to lose me. I can promise you that. As long as I have a gun, I'll be fine." The sounds of the Chitauri speeders were getting closer, and Ellie knew they needed to be ready soon. Steve chuckled as he unclipped the gun from his belt.

"I don't suppose I can convince you otherwise?" he asked before handing it to her. She shook her head vigorously, gratefully accepting the weapon, an M1911A1 .45 pistol.

"I will return this in one piece," she declared with a childish smile on her face.

"I'm counting on it," he replied with false enthusiasm. The two spread apart, ready to take on the monsters that threatened their world.

**~*000*~**

Loki looked on the island the mortals called Manhattan with distaste. All the books he'd read about Midgard stated that they were a tenacious people with a tendency to fight for what they believed in. He smirked. So much for a tenacious, fighting people. The mortals ran about screaming and covering their heads like frightened animals. They'd almost made this too easy for him, so when the agent called Barton shot an arrow at him, he caught it and smirked. Surely he did not think to kill him with this primitive form of weaponry… but the next part, he wasn't expecting. The arrow exploded in his face and sent him flying back into Stark Tower. Loki was dizzy after the explosion, but quickly gained his bearings. The enormous green monster called "The Hulk" came smashing in, letting loose a hair-raising roar. Loki was done with this. The little patience he possessed was gone.

"ENOUGH! You are all of you beneath me! I am a god, you dull creature, and I will NOT be bullied by-" he never did finish his sentence. The beast grabbed his ankle and yanked him up in the air, smashing him back down in the tile floors multiple times before he finally let go. When the giant finally stalked off, Loki thought he heard him mumble, "puny god." At this point, it didn't matter. The pain was too great for him to even move, so he just laid there. Occasionally, a wince of pain would escape his lips. He was certainly glad no one was watching.

**~*000*~**

Thor was in his element. He'd been born a warrior, and nothing made him feel more alive than the thrill of being in battle. Though he was angry at Loki for bringing harm to the realm of Midgard, he knew in his heart that there was still good in his brother. He summoned lightning with Mjolnir and sent it in all directions, slaying many Chitauri at a time. Perhaps, when this all was over, he could help his brother become good. He sorely missed him.

**~*000*~**

The Hawk was getting frustrated. He had no more arrows. Although he could use his bow as a weapon, it didn't feel as effective as singling out targets and picking them off one by one. At least the last one wasn't a waste. It made him almost happy when the arrow exploded in the crazy god's face. But, the happiness disappeared when he realized that multiple Chitauri were scaling the building and he would soon be trapped. He steeled himself for a hand-to-hand fight with the ugly ass things. They were absolutely hideous and make weird growling noises all the time, but their eyesight was pretty poor, and as he'd found out earlier, so were their reflexes. They certainly couldn't bank worth a damn. No matter how hard he fought, the things just kept coming. It seemed as if there was no end to them. Clint stole a quick glance in the direction of Stark Tower. They were still coming out of the wormhole in the sky. Unless they closed that portal soon, they'd all be dead. Clint needed to get out of the position he was in. While the coast was clear, ran and leaped into the air, turning backwards and pressing a button on his handy bow. A cable with a grappling hook shot out and he swung forward, smashing through the glass. When he toppled inside, he let out a groan of pain. That wasn't as smooth as he wanted it to be. But, in a matter of seconds, he was up and running to the other side. He hoped this battle would end soon. Aliens weren't his thing.

**~*000*~**

"I could close it! Guys, I could close the portal. Can anybody copy?" Natasha's breathless voice came through Tony's earpiece. That was the sweetest sound his ears had heard all afternoon. It was almost too good to be true, but they couldn't close it yet. Some security council that Fury had to listen to ordered that a nuclear missile be fired at Manhattan. Luckily Tony had seen it just in time, and now was directing it towards the wormhole.

"Close it!" came Steve's voice, filled with urgency. That was new for him.

"No, don't! I've got a nuke comin' in, and I know just where to put it," Tony chimed in confidently.

"Stark, you know that's a one way trip, right?" the captain warned. Tony didn't answer. He suspected it, but this needed to be done. J.A.R.V.I.S.'s smooth voice spoke.

"Shall I try Miss Potts, sir?" A picture of Tony's beautiful girlfriend flashed on the screen before him. Her smile was dazzling, and it would have made Tony weak in the knees, had he been standing.

"Might as well," he replied, a hint of sorrow in his voice. Her phone rang for what seemed like an eternity. When Tony entered the portal, the connection failed. He could barely make out J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice telling him so. He let go of the missile, and relief washed over him like a tsunami. His eyes fluttered, and his vision was fading fast. His breathing slowed, and he knew this was the end. His suit had stopped working, and now he was just freefalling. The last thing he saw before his eyes closed was Pepper's beautiful face smiling down at him.

**~*000*~**

Steve sighed. It had been almost five minutes. Tony should have been out of there by now. "Close it," he said dejectedly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ellie sigh and slump against the side of the bridge. He imagined she was holding back tears.

"Captain, look!" Thor's deep voice called his attention to the sky. Ironman had made it out of the portal.

**~*000*~**

The Hulk was happy to be smashing things. He liked nothing more than to throw cars and smash puny gods and break things. The smile on his face quickly turned to a frown when he saw the red metal man falling out of the sky. He wasn't flying. The red metal man was his friend; that he remembered. The Hulk leaped from building to building in an effort to save his friend. Finally, he caught him in one arm, and the two of them slid down the side of the building at an alarming rate of acceleration. Hulk had just enough time to leap to another building and then the ground before he himself was smashed. When they were on solid ground, he pushed the red metal man off of him and onto the road. He looked at him expectantly, hoping that at any moment, he would open his eyes and start breathing.

**~*000*~**

The circumstances were looking grim for Tony. Ellie was holding back tears as she, Thor, Steve, and the Hulk gathered around him. When Thor ripped off the face of his helmet, nothing happened. Steve looked away in dismay, and Thor just looked angry. The Hulk bellowed an agonizing roar to show his sorrow. Suddenly, Tony jolted awake and started gasping. An instant smile spread across everyone's faces. "Oh my God…ugh. What just happened?" Ellie sniffled and laughed nervously, along with the rest of the group. "Please tell me nobody kissed me." Steve let out a deep breath and looked to the sky.

"We won." The look on Tony's face was one of disbelief and exhaustion.

"Alright yay! Ok guys-let's not come in tomorrow. Let's just-take a day-hey have you ever tried shawarma?" Ellie giggled. She was glad to have Stark back. "There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I want to try it."

"We're not finished yet," said Thor, looking up at Stark Tower. Tony rolled his eyes and sighed.

"And then shawarma after?"

**~*000*~**

Every bone in his body hurt. Every fiber of his being was in pain. Even his eyelashes hurt. Loki groaned and tried to sit up. It took some effort, but he could do it leaning against the steps. A growl interrupted the silence of the room. Slowly, Loki turned his head. The Avengers all had their various weapons pointed at him, and all of them looked livid. There was no way out of this.

"If it's all the same to you…" he groaned before speaking again, "I think I'll have that drink now."

Once Loki was secure, (they had tied him up but still weren't sure, so Thor placed his hammer on his brother's chest to ensure he stayed put,) the seven of them went out for a bite to eat. Ellie tried not to pay attention to the destruction of Manhattan on the way. Civilians were timidly crawling out of their hiding places with wide eyes, hoping for the best. The silence was almost unbearable, but she was comforted with the knowledge that the silence was because the war was over. Now she didn't have to worry about Loki terrorizing them anymore. Steve had wrapped his arm around her waist to help her walk, and she was too tired to refuse his help. Besides, she sort of liked it. Her leg had stopped hurting now. It still looked disgusting, but at least it wasn't as bad as before.

"Here's the shawarma place," Tony announced, stopping in front of a tiny little restaurant. Ellie's stomach gave a loud growl that caused everyone to look at her oddly.

"Sorry. All I had for breakfast was Lucky Charms," she said, trying to ease the tension. This merited a weary laugh from the group. Tony ordered seven shawarmas while the rest of them sat down at a table in the center of the establishment. Ellie leaned her head against Steve's shoulder while they all ate. She was almost too tired to chew. As she surveyed the table, everyone looked that way. Poor Tony was more bruised up than ever, and Bruce just looked exhausted. Thor still looked angry, and Clint looked like he was about to fall asleep in Natasha's lap. As usual, she betrayed no emotion. At least they didn't hate each other anymore. Ellie was happy that the group was done fighting. Now it felt more like family.

**~*000*~**

**So…I'm sorry if I didn't capture some people's characters correctly, and I'm sorry for the shortness of some of them. I wanted each character to have a chance and for you to see it through their eyes. And I'm also sorry if I made Ellie seem like a Mary Sue, but I wanted Steve to rescue her from something. I love Stellie too much. Tell me what you thought. I had a lot of fun writing this :-)**


	16. And All Was Well

**Chapter Sixteen-And All Was Well**

After the battle, the Avengers were taken back to the helicarrier. The poor base was still in shambles, and the entire southwest wing had been destroyed. Debris and dust still covered much of that area. Strangely, everyone seemed happy. No one grumbled about having to clean up or work overtime. Ellie's room had been destroyed in the explosion, so she was without any new clothes or her own shower. At least the cafeteria had Nutella stocked up in a secret place just for her. That was probably Phil's doing. Her heart felt like lead whenever she thought of Phil Coulson; her second father. His death had all been her fault. If she could have moved faster…if she were stronger…if she were smarter…he'd still be alive. She wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn't come. Perhaps she'd sweated them out during the battle. Instead, she took a few deep breaths, thinking that would calm her down. It worked against her: breathing only made her more aware of her sorrow, and the tears now flowed freely. At first, they were soft and feminine, but they grew in dynamics. Soon she was bawling in the middle of the hospital wing. This wasn't like her. Why was she being emotional? She knew the agents were staring at her, probably too afraid to come near her. The tears kept coming, and Ellie tried to take heaving gasps to calm herself, but it only made the tears worse. All her memories came flooding back at once.

**~*000*~**

"_Do you know why you're here?" She swallowed nervously again, and her eyes darted wildly about. _

_ "I…I…um…is this a test?"_

_ "Sort of."_

_ "If I pass, can I stay here?"_

_ "Do you want to stay here?" The tears welled up in her eyes and spilled out over her lashes, trickling down her cheeks. _

_ "Yes sir, more than anything!" A couple minutes of silence followed, though it seemed like an eternity to her._

_ "Very well. You've been admitted. Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D." _

"_Come on, Ellie. It'll be fun. I promise. It's S.H.I.E.L.D.'s third annual Christmas party. Besides, you need to get out of your apartment and be social." Ellie rolled her eyes at Phil's words. _

_ "What if I don't want to be social?"_

_ "Then I'll suspend you from active service for a month and you'll do nothing but paperwork for me." She knew Phil wouldn't do such a thing, but he was right. She'd been cooped up in her small apartment for far too long. With a grumble, she replied, _

_ "I'll come if there's alcohol."_

_ "You're underage." _

_ "So?"_

_ "That's illegal."_

_ "No one else has to know." She heard Phil sigh over the phone._

_ "Fine. But I'm limiting your alcohol intake. Too much and you'll fail your tests the next week." _

_ "Whatever, Dad," she said in mocking voice. He sighed again. Ellie could imagine him running a hand through his thinning hair._

_ "Be there at 8 or you have paperwork for a month." With that, he hung up. _

"_Alpha 1 to base. Target destroyed. Requesting extraction." Static came through her earpiece before Coulson responded. _

_ "A dispatch unit will collect you within two minutes."_

_ "Roger that."_

_ "Good work, Agent Dawson." When Ellie arrived back at base, she was shaken up. She felt hollow and empty and cruel. Her hands were still bloodstained. She left the debriefing early so she could hibernate in the privacy of her temporary quarters. Once inside, she didn't let the tears stop flowing. It seemed like ages that she sat in the corner crying. So weak of her. Her mother and father would be disappointed. It was just a mission gone wrong; nothing too terrible. What the hell was she thinking? Of course it was terrible. She'd left that poor child alone, motherless and fatherless, completely alone…just as she herself had been. Strange people had come in and murdered her father. She'd done just the same to that little girl. A fresh bout of tears ensued this thought. Ellie didn't notice the door slide open, or the feet padding toward her. The person knelt down next to her, pushed her hair back from her eyes, and wiped her tears away with a gentle thumb. His voice was calming. Phil's voice. It always had been. He tried to shush her crying, and eventually she could breathe. They sat like that for what seemed like hours. _

_ "You did what you had to Ellie, and I'm proud of you no matter what." Those were the last words she heard before she fell asleep._

_She steeled herself for another fight, but what followed left her feeling hollow and empty. All bravery, all heroism; all strength was sapped from her body as Loki suddenly appeared behind Phil and stabbed him in the back with his staff. The blood pooled quickly and spread across the agent's pristine white oxford. His eyes began to glass over, and the subtle rage within them was replaced with almost a sadness. All coherent words left her. A spine chilling, gut wrenching, inhuman cry rose within her. Its frightening sound filled the basement and reverberated off the walls. Warm, wet, salty tears began to trickle down her cheeks. Phil stumbled and slumped to the floor, the weapon still lying across his lap._ _She groaned quietly and lifted her head off the floor. Her vision was blurred with tears as she saw Phil slumped against the wall. Loki was occupied with Thor at the moment, so she mustered every last ounce of strength she had to crawl to Phil. The glassy look in his eyes made her tears fall profusely. His limp hand reached out to hers and he gave it a reassuring squeeze. It was cold and clammy to the touch, but she held on as if her life depended on it._

_ "Whatever happens, know that I'm proud of you," he whispered breathlessly._

_ "Phil, don't talk like that. You're gonna be ok. You're gonna pull through this!" she tenderly cupped his cheek as she spoke. He gave a weak laugh._

_ "It's not looking too good for me." Every word he uttered sounded as if it were a painful and laborious task._

_ "You're all I have left. I'm not lettin' you leave me!" Even before the words left her mouth, she knew there wasn't much hope._

_ "Ellie, you don't understand. It would never have worked if you didn't have s-something to-" his voice trailed off. He drew his last shuddering breath and his eyes glazed over. Ellie's hands fell to her sides and she sat back on her knees in disbelief. A heavy blanket of grief swept over her heart. She felt empty, hollow, and dull. Her father had been murdered a second time._

**~*000*~**

Ellie was vaguely aware of the strong arm that had wrapped around her shoulders. She didn't notice the soothing words her comforter mumbled, or feel him wiping away her tears. When she finally opened her eyes, she was thankful to see Clint Barton holding her.

"Ssh, Blondie, you're alright. Everything's done. Ssh, you're okay." She sucked in a couple deep breaths as he stroked her back. Finally, she managed to speak.

"Phil…I…it's my fault, Clint. If I hadn't been so stupid…so slow… he would…"

"Ellie, don't be so harsh on yourself. You did what you could. Loki was too strong for you. You couldn't have done it by yourself."

"But I…I…"

"No buts, Blondie. You've done more than anyone ever expected of you. You should be proud of yourself." After a few more deep breaths, Ellie was calm and completely coherent again. Neither she nor Clint spoke for a few minutes. She watched the doctors and nurses bustle about the hospital wing, yelling in their medical lingo, scribbling on clipboards, and carrying supplies back and forth. This was the busiest she'd ever seen the infirmary. "C'mon, El. We've got to get your leg fixed up," he said, kindly pulling her to her feet. She wobbled and almost fell over again before Clint caught her. He let out a snort when he saw the look of frustration on her face. "You need me to carry you?" She glared daggers at him and he snickered. Taking that as a no, he looped her arm around his shoulders so he could hold her waist. She was able to sort of hop/limp with the Hawk's help. Once they reached an open room, Clint helped her onto the bed. Her wound hit the metal rail of the hospital bed, and she let out a fierce hiss through her teeth. He cringed and apologized profusely. When the waves of pain subsided, she laid back against the pillows and closed her eyes. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep, and the doctors went to work as soon as humanly possible.

**~*000*~**

It broke Maria Hill's heart to see one of her closest comrades break down like that. She'd watched Ellie's ordeal on a security camera, and she herself had to hold back tears. Fury's footsteps sounded behind her.

"Is she better?" Maria sighed.

"They just finished the procedure on her leg. The doctors say she should be able to walk with a limp for at least three weeks." Fury nodded. He already knew that, but he was too tired to be smart.

"How is she, really?" Hill huffed. Ellie had been a wreck two hours ago. It was a full mental and emotional breakdown, something she never wanted to see again for the sake of her heart.

"She blames herself. I don't think she'll ever get over it." The Director nodded and chuckled to himself. Maria's expression turned indignant.

"Why are you laughing?"

"I think she'll get over it sooner than she thinks." When he walked away, Maria rolled her eyes. He was obviously delirious, as well.

**~*000*~**

Surprisingly, Ellie had slept okay that night. She expected to be in shock, exhibit symptoms of PTSD, or have horrid nightmares, but the medicine knocked her out. She'd had to bunk with Natasha, seeing as her own quarters were destroyed. It was a little awkward at first, but when 10:30 at night rolled around, both of them were out. She'd been forced to sleep on her back in order not to agitate her wounded leg, but that didn't bother her like she thought it would. The doctors told her she'd walk with a slight limp for about three weeks, but it would heal nicely. They had to pinch the wound and burn the flesh together before they stitched it up. Ellie hated to look at it. The stitches were enormous, and slightly reminiscent of a fishbone. Pants were a definite no-no right now, so she had to borrow a skirt from Natasha. Frankly, Ellie was surprised that Nat owned anything other than her cat suit, but she was grateful nevertheless. In fact, she was surprised by the style of it. It was a flowing turquoise maxi skirt, which she paired with a plain white tank top and gladiator sandals with a bit of a heel. Truth be told, Ellie felt awkward and out of place when she arrived on the bridge and everyone else was in pants. The rest of the Avengers looked ready to get down to business, whilst she looked ready to go to the beach. She studied everyone else from her place at the back of the room. Tony and Bruce both looked dashing in suits, Thor wore his Asgardian armor, Hawkeye was in his snazzy jeans and combat boots, Natasha looked stylish in her leather jacket, and Steve…gosh darn it he looked so cute. His plaid shirt was buttoned all the way up and tucked into his khaki pants. If he wasn't wearing his leather bomber jacket, she would have thought he looked nerdy. _Aw, but he'd be such a cute nerd! Ellie, you're stupid. Do you want to date him or are you contemplating adoption?_ When he caught her eye, she blushed and waved timidly. His crooked smile made her heart flutter like a schoolgirl's. Bruce was the only one who noticed the exchange, and gave her a very Tony-esque wink. She looked down to prevent further blushing, and didn't look up again until Tony addressed her.

"Hey Hermione, you know where you're going after we get rid of Reindeer Games?" His question caught her off guard. So did his new nickname for her, but the overall question was more important.

"Um…no, I haven't really given it much thought." Truthfully, she had no idea where she would go, not even the slightest clue.

"Do you have anywhere to go?"

"Well, Germany was my next stop, but Fury said we have to stay in continental U.S."

"Yeah, I knew you didn't have anywhere to go. I called Pepper this morning. You're welcome to say in Stark Tower with us." Ellie was floored by his offer. She hadn't expected that at all, especially not from him. Maybe Miss Potts had told him to ask her.

"Oh, Tony, I don't know. I mean, I wouldn't want to impose…"

"Psh, don't worry about it. We'd love to have you." Ellie sucked in a breath through her teeth.

"I don't know…" she definitely wasn't one to take charity, but she really didn't have anywhere else to go. Tony's dark eyes were sincere as he reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"At least stay with us until you find an apartment. We can help you with that." She pretended to ponder his offer for a second, then replied with a hug and an,

"Oh, what the hell." The billionaire chuckled.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to resist my offer. Bruce is comin' too, so you guys can watch The Big Bang Theory together." The ear to ear grin almost split Ellie's face when the doctor high fived her. Tony leaned in close and whispered to her,

"We'll invite Steve over sometimes, too. You need to get the ball rolling if this relationship is gonna work out." She rolled her eyes and shook her head. When she caught Steve's eye again, he raised a questioning eyebrow. She mouthed back, '_Tony is just being Tony.'_ He nodded like he understood, and that crooked smile lit up his face again.

"Avengers, time to move out," Fury's deep voice commanded over the bridge. Steve waited behind so he could catch up with Ellie. He offered his arm like a proper gentleman, and she took it elegantly.

"You ready for this?" he asked, looking down at her with his merry blue eyes. A long sigh escaped her.

"You have no idea, Steve."

**~*000*~**

Central Park was beautiful. In the middle of summer it was a little too warm to be comfortable, but the sunlight bathed the green trees and grass. Steve was pleased to see that it hadn't changed too much in the 70 years he'd been asleep. It was oddly quiet. He'd expected to see civilians milling about, or even hear birds, but it was deadly still. Fury had probably made some special call to make it totally isolated so they could send Loki back to Asgard in peace. Steve hated Loki. It wasn't in his nature to hate, but he'd taken over the earth, compromised two of his comrades, and taken advantage of the woman he had a fondness for…that had been the cherry on top. He knew Ellie was perfectly capable of defending herself, but for some reason, he felt the overwhelming urge to protect her. He'd always been like that-overprotective, even as the scrawny kid in Brooklyn back in the 30s. His jaw clenched involuntarily when he met Loki's eyes, and automatically held Ellie's arm tighter. She returned his gesture, but kept her eyes fixated on the god of mischief. Those emerald orbs seemed to pierce her very soul. The muzzle hid his mouth, but Ellie could tell that he was frowning. Maybe grimacing. He looked to be in pain as it was. He deserved it. _Evil bastard, _she thought to herself. Those green eyes squinted in anger, as if he heard her thoughts. Thor looked back at his new friends and gave a morose wave before turning the tube containing the Tesseract. Quick as a whip, a bolt of blue and purple light lit up Central Park like it was Christmas, and then it disappeared. Silence befell the group for a few moments as they all looked dolefully at the sky. Bruce was the one to break the silence.

"I'm gonna miss that blonde behemoth." The rest of the Avengers nodded in agreement. Before another awkward silence could fall, the Hawk spoke up.

"Anybody else craving a McFlurry right now?" Ellie and Natasha laughed at Clint's randomness.

"That sounds pretty good, actually," she agreed. Steve furrowed his brow in confusion.

"What's a Mic-flurry?" he asked, as if he weren't so sure of how to pronounce it. This merited a snicker from the rest of the group.

"Ice cream heaven in a cup, Steve. Don't worry, we'll educate you on 21st century American dining habits," Tony answered sarcastically. This made Steve look even more confused, and he looked to Ellie for guidance. She laughed her radiant laugh.

"He's serious. It really is ice cream heaven in cup," she said, looping her arm through his once more. They decided which of the various New York City McDonald's to meet at, and all got in their vehicles. Just before Ellie was settled in the back of Tony's convertible, a figure shrouded by trees caught her eyes. It took her a second to realize it was Athena, in 'Earth' clothes. She winked at her daughter, and Ellie heard her voice in her head: _Well done, my little owl. I'm proud of you. Now all is well. _The goddess disappeared as quickly as she had appeared. Yes, all was well indeed.

**~*000*~**

**Now I know what you're thinking, but THIS ISN'T THE END PEOPLE! There will be a couple more chapters after this, and I should have the first chapter of the sequel up by Christmas. Drop me a note, tell me what you liked or didn't like, or tell me what you want to see in the sequel. Also I have a poll up on my profile regarding a TDKR story so go check it out. I love all my readers! Thank you for supporting me! xoxo**


	17. Author's NoteApology

~*Author's Note*~

Hi guys. I know it's been a long time since I've updated _You Save Me. _I appreciate everyone's support; thanks so much for putting up with my horrible posting schedule. I confess: I will not be finishing _You Save Me. _I looked back over it over winter break only to realize how mediocre it was, and there were too many plotholes to continue with a sequel. I had plans—I wanted Ellie and Steve to get married and have kids and eventually some crisis would arise involving the children, but as I said, there were too many plotholes for that. I will, however, continue writing _Blood, Sweat, and Tears_ and possibly add more to _We're All In This Together Maybe._ _Blood, Sweet, and Tears_ will be my main focus. I'd like to start a Hobbit story or a TDKR story, but that won't be til later—possibly spring break because I'm extremely busy up until then. Thank you for being so patient; I love you all! :)


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